Scottish Police Urge Security for Larbert Datacentre as 7,000 Object to 23 Scottish Projects
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 14
Scottish Police Urge Security for Larbert Datacentre as 7,000 Object to 23 Scottish Projects
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 14
Summary
A police letter in Scotland said the planned Larbert datacentre will need “robust security measures” and coordination with officers to prevent disruptive incursions as opposition intensifies.
Nearly 7,000 objections have been filed against the project, and more than 100 people joined a Larbert protest on Thursday, with further demonstrations planned including one in Edinburgh in early September.
Local critics say Apatura’s proposal includes 200 diesel backup generators near a 56-bed hospice and an 860-bed hospital, raising fears over noise and nitrous oxide pollution.
At least 23 hyperscale datacentres are in Scotland’s planning pipeline, and campaigners say their combined power demand would exceed 1.5 times Scotland’s peak usage.
The dispute is widening beyond one site: an SNP motion to freeze new datacentres, if adopted as government policy, could complicate UK efforts to expand AI infrastructure in Scotland.