THE Scottish Government has been urged to intervene in plans to build a giant AI data centre outside Edinburgh, after the city’s council waved the need for an environmental impact assessment (EIA).
It is one of two data centres currently being planned for the capital, which environmental groups have claimed would use enough energy to power Edinburgh and Glasgow twice over.
A screening opinion published on Friday (DEC 18) by a senior planner at the local authority ruled that an EIA would not be required.
While the report admitted that the data centre “will have effects on the environment through use of natural resources”, senior planner Lewis McWilliam wrote that it is not “atypical for this type of development”.
Now, the campaign group Action to Protect Rural Scotland (APRS) has urged Scottish ministers to intervene following the decision.
The group called the council’s decision to waive an EIA “gobsmacking”.
Two AI data centres have been proposed to the council.
Kat Jones, director at APRS, told The National newspaper: “This is a gobsmacking decision given what we know about the impacts of hyperscale data centres on energy use and water.
“This development will use the same energy as a quarter of a million households.
“An EIA is required to look in detail at what the environmental impacts will be and the council is asleep at the wheel if they are not requiring a proper examination of these.
“The Edinburgh data centre at South Gyle is only one of many already in the planning system whose combined energy demand would double Scotland’s energy requirements.
“At the moment councils across central Scotland are looking at applications for hyperscale data centres without any remit to look at the cumulative impact of these decisions.
“We need the Scottish Government to halt all planning decisions until a proper investigation can be made into the environmental and community impacts of these plans.”
The council’s policy committee had previously agreed earlier this month that there needed to be further guidance and regulation surrounding the data centres, with the council set to debate a generative AI policy in 2026.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Ministers to comment on a live or future application for proposed development.
“It is for the planning authority in the first instance to consider any application.”
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