The Scottish Government is considering a temporary moratorium on new hyperscale data centre developments, amid growing concern over their potential impact on energy demand, climate targets and local communities.1
The move follows a decision by the SNP National Council to support a pause on new AI data centre applications while ministers examine how the rapid expansion of the sector can be reconciled with Scotland’s energy and climate goals.2
An SNP spokesperson said: “AI data centres are evolving at pace, and the SNP fully recognizes the concerns about the environmental impact and the impact on energy resources of hyperscale data centres.
“The Scottish government is currently reviewing what action can be taken to help balance the rapid expansion of such centres with our national energy and climate goals – including a potential pause on applications.”3
The proposed moratorium could apply to projects that have not yet received planning permission, although the final scope would be for the Scottish Government to determine.4 The proposal has emerged as Scotland becomes a focus for large-scale AI infrastructure, including the Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone, which has been promoted as a major element of the UK Government’s wider AI strategy.5
Campaigners and Green MSPs have warned that Scotland faces a wave of hyperscale data centre proposals. According to figures cited by opponents of the developments, 24 hyperscale projects have been proposed across Scotland, with a combined potential power demand of more than one-and-a-half times Scotland’s peak electricity demand if all were approved and built out to full capacity.6
Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie said: “This is an important step by the SNP’s national council, and I hope the Scottish government now acts on it.
“I know there are SNP MSPs who share our concerns about the Big Tech land grab we are seeing and who have backed our calls since we first raised this issue in Parliament.
“Scotland is facing a wave of hyperscale data centre applications that could have profound consequences for our energy system, our environment and our communities.”7
The debate has intensified following scrutiny of the Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone. The project, involving CoreWeave and DataVita, was previously presented as an £8.2 billion AI data centre complex powered entirely by on-site renewables by 2030.8 However, documents obtained through freedom of information requests and public-record analysis have raised questions over whether the renewable energy claims can be delivered on the stated timetable.9
The Guardian reported that the Lanarkshire site currently lacks the grid connection and renewable infrastructure needed to meet the scale of its proposed energy demand, while the UK Government has said the site’s needs would still be met “overwhelmingly” with renewables.10
DataVita said the delivery of its energy commitments was “subject to final commercial agreements, planning, grid and consenting processes”.11
First Minister John Swinney has previously acknowledged the energy challenge associated with the Lanarkshire development. In a February letter to DataVita managing director Danny Quinn, he said: “I recognise that power provision remains a key issue and we will continue to engage with the UK government and relevant partners to secure timely grid connections that enable and support the development to proceed at pace.”12
Campaign group Action to Protect Rural Scotland has welcomed the prospect of stronger controls. Its director, Kat Jones, said: “Since December we have been calling on the Scottish Government to put in place a moratorium on hyperscale AI data centres until their environmental impacts have been fully assessed, and governance can catch up with the speed this is moving.”13
She added: “We want to see work start immediately to ensure hyperscale AI data centres are required to have an Environmental Impact Assessment, that the impacts on communities and the environment are fully investigated, and that proper guidance is provided to local authorities.”14
Supporters of data centre development argue that Scotland’s renewable energy resources, cooler climate and available land make it well placed to host infrastructure needed for AI and cloud computing. But opponents say national planning guidance has not kept pace with the scale of the proposals, and that large loads could place additional pressure on the grid, water resources and local environments.
Any moratorium would also create tension with the UK Government’s efforts to accelerate AI infrastructure investment. The UK has promoted AI Growth Zones as a way to attract data centre investment and support national AI capability, but the debate in Scotland highlights a growing unresolved question: how much digital infrastructure can be accommodated without undermining energy, climate and community priorities?
Notes
[1] “Scotland could freeze datacentre projects in challenge to UK’s AI strategy”, The Guardian, 7 July 2026.
[2] “SNP backs national data centre moratorium in Scotland”, Data Centre Dynamics, 8 July 2026.
[3] Ibid.
[4] “Scotland could freeze datacentre projects in challenge to UK’s AI strategy”, The Guardian.
[5] “Revealed: landmark Scottish AI project has no prospect of meeting renewables promise”, The Guardian, 6 July 2026.
[6] “SNP backs national data centre moratorium in Scotland”, Data Centre Dynamics
[7] Ibid.
[8] “Revealed: landmark Scottish AI project has no prospect of meeting renewables promise”, The Guardian
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Ibid.
[13] “Pressure mounts as AI data centre anger now ‘impossible to ignore’ in Holyrood”, The National, July 2026.
[14] Ibid.
