Scottish Government Stops Short of Datacentre Moratorium as Hundreds Protest

Hundreds of people gathered outside Holyrood in Edinburgh on 3 September to demand an immediate moratorium on Scotland’s datacentre expansion. The Scottish government has not backed that pause, instead planning a strategic approach to responsible green datacentre investment.

A demand to pause the pipeline

Campaigners want the government to assess datacentres’ environmental impact and issue clear planning guidance defining a green datacentre. They are seeking a pause while those protections are developed, rather than a permanent end to datacentre construction.

The argument is playing out against a sizeable proposed buildout. At least 20 datacentre projects are reportedly proposed across Scotland, including a project in Auchtertool, Fife, billed as the world’s second largest. The count describes proposals, not operating facilities.

Standards, not a freeze

The government’s Programme for Government says it will publish a strategic approach to attracting and securing responsible green datacentre investment. It would set expectations on environmental sustainability, resource use, community benefit, and a development’s economic and strategic value.

First Minister John Swinney said the approach would include expectations around sustainability, resource use and community benefit, but did not agree to a moratorium. The notification rule gives ministers visibility of larger applications; it does not itself pause them.

The national development pressure

The dispute also reaches UK policy. Lanarkshire is one of five AI growth zones designated by the UK government to support large AI datacentres. Scotland’s government says datacentre development must be balanced with national energy, climate and community wealth-building goals, as well as effects on local communities.

Greer said the proposed 120MW-to-200MW hyperscale facilities would collectively need more energy than Scotland currently uses at peak demand. That is the Scottish Greens co-leader’s assessment of the proposed projects’ combined requirement, not a government forecast.

The unresolved policy question is whether the forthcoming strategy’s standards can address campaigners’ requests for environmental analysis and a clear green-datacentre definition while the government seeks to secure investment.