Two Planned UK Datacentres to Emit 4.5 Million Tonnes, Exceeding ExxonMobil's 3.9 Million
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 25
Two Planned UK Datacentres to Emit 4.5 Million Tonnes, Exceeding ExxonMobil's 3.9 Million
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 25
Summary
Foxglove estimates the Wapseys Wood and Quest Park projects would emit 4.577 million tonnes of carbon a year when fully operational—more than ExxonMobil’s 3.9 million tonnes in the UK in 2023.
The two England sites are expected to draw 1.3GW of power and, facing long grid-connection delays, are seeking on-site gas-fired power stations to run energy-hungry AI servers and cooling systems.
The government called the figures misleading because they assume both datacentres run at 100% utilisation from day one, but Foxglove and Friends of the Earth said full-capacity projections are standard and relevant.
The findings land as 315 datacentres await UK grid connections with 73GW of demand—almost double the country’s peak winter electricity demand—intensifying doubts over climate targets.
Those concerns are sharpened by both projects being fast-tracked under the NSIP regime, which shifts decisions to central government and has drawn criticism for reducing local scrutiny.