Scotland Requires Environmental Assessments for Large Data Centres

Scottish Members of Parliament rejected a motion on Wednesday for a moratorium on new hyperscale data centres, but the government announced that projects over 50 megawatts will now require mandatory environmental impact assessments. The vote at Holyrood followed a debate on the rapid growth of proposals for large facilities to support the global artificial intelligence industry. Public Finance Minister Hannah Mary Goodlad stated that planning consent for such developments is "highly unlikely" to be granted in the next three months while updated guidance is prepared for local authorities. She said the new assessment requirement would ensure significant environmental effects are considered from the outset and create a level playing field for developers. The Scottish Greens had called for a full pause on planning applications until a national strategy is developed. Green MSP Patrick Harvie described the government's announcement as the "bare minimum" and argued it did not justify a "big tech free-for-all." He cited figures that 24 major proposals under consideration could consume 6,000 megawatts of electricity, more than 1.5 times Scotland's current peak power use.