DOZENS of protesters from communities across Scotland gathered at Holyrood on Wednesday to demand action on AI data centre regulation.
The rally came before a session of questions to the Climate Secretary, where the majority of the session saw Gillian Martin taking questions on what plan and guidance the Scottish Government has for regulating data centres.
The Scottish Government has set out plans to update its AI policy, including the definition of "green data centre", in 2027, but speaking during the session in Holyrood, Mark Ruskell accused the Government of having been "caught out" by the sudden wave of planning applications, adding that key planning decisions will have already been made by 2027 and urgent action is needed now.
Organised by campaign groups in Larbert and Hermiston, Edinburgh, the rally sought to bring together many of the small communities attempting to take on developers and the council planning authorities.
Representatives from areas near proposed data centres in Dunbar, Hermiston and the Gyle in Edinburgh, Larbert, Hunterston, Auchtertool, Bishopriggs and Longformacus/Lammermuir were present, and while campaigners in Hurlford and Chapelhall could not attend they have sent letters to their MSPs to demand action.
Sarah Matthews, one of the organisers behind the Hermiston campaign said: "The impact of hyperscale data centres on Scotland is unfathomable and no one truly knows the consequences on our water, pollution, health and energy.
"All we are asking for is for the Scottish Government to stop and consider all the facts on our future and the future of Scotland.
"If all of these hyperscale data centres were to be built it would be one and a half times Scotland's entire peak energy demands - that alone is simply impossible.
"We must learn from the United States before its too late. There is huge backlash against hyperscale data centres with many now rejected and several bans on planning in place.
"Americans are seeing the impacts on their daily lives – everything from an increase in energy bills to major health concerns. We must be very wary."
Tasha Marsden of the Larbert campaign echoed this, saying Scotland has "reached a crisis point" and needs the Government to step in, but has accused ministers of "sticking their head[s] in the sand".
She said: "With a growing number of hyperscale AI data centres proposed across Scotland, we have now reached a crisis point and desperately require the intervention of our MSPs.
"Instead of listening to the will of the people, the Scottish government is presently sticking their head in the sand rather than standing up to big tech ... We need our government to step up and be a voice for Scotland by sending a clear message to these billionaire-backed companies.
Three of the 10 questions lodged by for the session were related to AI data centre development.
The Greens' Mark Ruskell and the SNP's David Green and Gary Bouse initiated the debates while other members from various parties, including Reform UK and Labour, raised follow-up queries in the chamber.
The concern comes as it has emerged that 24 AI data centre are being planned for sites across Scotland, with planning applications already being made for sites in Larbert, Auchtertool and Edinburgh, as well as the creation of an AI Growth Zone in Lanarkshire.
Collectively, all of the developments are projected to produce an energy demand of more than 6.2GW. Scotland’s peak energy demand has been registered as just over 4GW according to the National Energy System Operator (Neso), meaning AI data centres could more than double the nation's peak demand.
Local councillors, campaigners and MSPs are concerned that the Scottish Government's planning guidance is out of date and fails to properly define the requirements a data centre must meet to be classed as a nationally important development.
"Green data centre" is a specific term within Scottish planning regulations, the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4). They are regarded as nationally important projects due to their role in Scotland's digital infrastructure network, meaning they may be given favourable weighting in planning decisions.
The framework was also designed in 2022 and published in early 2023, before the widespread expansion of large-scale AI infrastructure and demand for the technology. Instead, it was primarily intended to support smaller facilities underpinning cloud computing and digital services.
This also means that the predicted impacts relating to energy consumption and carbon emissions from their growth is significantly lower than the expected increase caused by AI.
Ruskell called on the Government to issue guidance to local authorities facing a "deluge" of applications, accusing the Scottish Government of having been "caught out" on not having a definition for green data centres, calling for a moratorium on new developments until one is made.
Martin responded saying "data centres need to be in the right place," adding that there "can be advantages" of having data centres provide district heating for local communities, saying these additions should also be considered by planning authorities.
She added: "We are working to make sure that we have everything in place so that we give our planning officers the tools to assess [the developments] correctly.
Responding to Bouse's question on what assessment the Scottish Government has made regarding the environmental impact of the construction and operation of AI data centres, Martin went on to say that the Scottish Government is "building an understanding of the environmental impacts associated with the construction and operation" of the centres, adding that local authorities have a responsibility to consider the environmental effect on a case-by-case basis.
She went on to say that having a strict definition of a green data centre could be "counterproductive" because of the rapidly evolving industry meaning regulation could fall behind technological advancements, refusing to back a moratorium on developments.
