Credit: iStock – Tom Keeble
Consents for hyperscale data centres in Scotland have been paused until the Holyrood government draws up planning guidance for the sector.
The vote by the devolved Scottish Parliament came after it had debated a motion by the Scottish Greens to introduce a moratorium on applications until there is a strategy and updated planning guidance in place that takes account of data centres’ ‘cumulative impacts on energy demand and the environment’.
Around two dozen planning applications for hyperscale data centres have been submitted in Scotland as developers seek to take advantage of the country’s abundant renewable energy resources.
MSPs backed an amended motion, drawn up the Labour Party, which calls on the Scottish government to report back to parliament on the development of national planning guidance for hyperscale data centres by the end of the current calendar year, and publish it in full within 12 months.
The motion adds that no decisions on applications for such centres should be made until this guidance has been completed.
Hannah Mary Goodlad, Scottish Minister for Public Finance, told the parliament that it is ‘highly unlikely’ that the go ahead would be given for proposed data centres within the next three months.
Ahead of the debate, the Scottish government’s chief planner, Dr Fiona Simpson, announced that applications for all proposed data centres over 50MW will be subject to Environmental Impact Assessments.
Dr Kat Jones, director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, called on the Scottish government to ‘urgently’ call in hyperscale data centre applications, that are approaching a decision date.
