Lincolnshire Council Approves Massive AI Datacentre Despite Climate Warnings
North Lincolnshire council has unanimously approved planning permission for the Elsham Tech Park, a proposed AI datacentre campus near Scunthorpe, adjacent to the Elsham Wolds industrial estate. This decision comes despite significant warnings from environmental campaigners about the project's potential to become a major new source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Emissions Concerns and Council Justification
According to the tech justice nonprofit Foxglove, the projected emissions from the datacentre could approach those generated by every domestic flight taken in the UK. Council documents estimate that the facility's peak annual scope 2 emissions, which are indirect greenhouse gases from electricity generation, will reach approximately 1 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2033-34. For comparison, all UK domestic flights total 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
The council concluded that, despite the development's large absolute energy demand, the impact of emissions was not deemed significant due to the datacentre's proximity to clean energy sources in the Humber region. However, critics argue this assessment overlooks broader climate implications.
Project Details and Economic Promises
Elsham Tech Park plans to construct up to 15 datacentre buildings across the site, generating up to 1GW of computing capacity. This would make it one of the largest datacentre proposals in the UK. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with some parts of the campus opening as early as 2029.
The developer, Greystoke, claims the centre will create up to 900 long-term jobs and could attract up to £10 billion in private investment. Local businesses are promised priority in supply chain opportunities. Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire council, described the project as a once-in-a-generation investment opportunity that will bring thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of highly skilled roles to Lincolnshire.
Environmental Criticisms and Feasibility Questions
Tim Squirrell, head of strategy at Foxglove, expressed disappointment, stating that the council ignored their own policy, which states 20% of energy must be generated through on-site renewables and credulously accepted the developer's incorrect figures, which underestimated the impact of this datacentre on the UK's carbon budget by a factor of five.
Concerns also remain about the feasibility of such large-scale power generation. A separate AI project by Nscale, intended to provide 50MW of AI capacity, has faced delays and remains incomplete, raising questions about similar ambitious plans.
In response, Elsham Tech Park highlighted environmental measures, including biodiversity improvements like new planting, bat and bird boxes, and wildflower grassland. The centre will feature a highly water-efficient design using closed-loop systems to minimize water usage for server cooling.
Broader Context and Future Outlook
This approval follows another Greystoke-backed project, Humber Tech Park in north Lincolnshire, which received planning permission in August 2024 but has yet to begin construction. The decision underscores ongoing tensions between economic development driven by AI infrastructure and urgent climate action, as the UK grapples with balancing tech growth against environmental sustainability goals.
