UK Lacks Data on 315 Datacentres Seeking Grid Links as Environmental Backlash Grows
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 2
UK Lacks Data on 315 Datacentres Seeking Grid Links as Environmental Backlash Grows
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 2
Summary
A freedom of information response showed the UK government does not hold information on who uses the country’s largest datacentres or what they are used for, despite accelerating AI-driven expansion.
That gap is drawing scrutiny because 315 datacentres are queueing for National Grid connections and hundreds more await planning decisions, even as ministers moved in January to let qualifying projects bypass local planning committees.
Campaigners say the fast-track approach shields high-impact projects from local scrutiny while the government cannot justify their public benefit; Friends of the Earth wants a halt on new sites until environmental safeguards are set.
Environmental pressure has intensified after reports that two planned datacentres would emit more carbon than ExxonMobil’s UK operations, while Water UK warned in July that Britain lacks enough water for the sector’s expansion.
The government argues a pause would drive investment and jobs abroad and leave Britain reliant on other countries for sensitive health and defence data, underscoring a widening clash between industrial policy and resource constraints.