Labour Rejects Datacentre Moratorium as UK AI Sites Use 2.5% of Power
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 28
Labour Rejects Datacentre Moratorium as UK AI Sites Use 2.5% of Power
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 28
Summary
Labour refused Green Party demands to halt major AI datacentre construction, saying a moratorium would drive investment and jobs abroad and leave Britain reliant on overseas computing for sensitive health and defence data.
Zack Polanski urged Britain to “slam the brakes” on new sites during one of the country’s worst droughts in years, with datacentres’ electricity use at about 2.5% of UK supply and forecast to quadruple by 2030.
The government said datacentres’ critical national infrastructure status does not guarantee priority access to water or electricity, adding their water use in England is less than 1% of non-household consumption.
The dispute is widening beyond Westminster: Scotland appears to be edging toward its own moratorium, while local opposition has flared from Devon to Fife over noise, heat, traffic and visual impact.
Foxglove warned some developers are considering gas-fired power stations to bypass grid delays, raising the risk that Britain’s AI buildout could clash with its climate goals.