Scottish Greens seek moratorium on hyperscale AI data centres

The Scottish Green Party is pushing for an immediate moratorium on all large-scale hyperscale data centre applications in Scotland. The proposal, set for a vote in the Scottish Parliament, seeks to suspend planning applications until a comprehensive national strategy and clear guidance are established.

Concerns center on the massive energy requirements of these facilities. Projections suggest that if the 24 current applications are approved, their collective electricity consumption could reach 1.5 times Scotland’s peak usage. Advocacy groups like Action to Protect Rural Scotland have noted that current live planning applications demand 1.2 gigawatts of power, equivalent to the output of the Torness nuclear power station.

The Scottish Government has already implemented a directive requiring that any new data centre application be reported to ministers within seven days, with facilities exceeding 50 megawatts requiring direct notification. While Public Finance Minister Hannah Mary Goodlad stated the government aims to balance economic interests with climate and community goals, the Greens argue this does not go far enough to prevent environmental damage and rising energy costs.