‘Slam the brakes’ on new data centres or risk water shortages, say Greens
George Thompson, Press Association Political Staff
The UK Government must “slam the brakes” on new data centres or put communities at risk of water shortages, the Green Party leader has said.
Zack Polanski has demanded planning rules be tightened to prevent data centres being given priority while people come a “poor second”.
Data centres have been treated as critical infrastructure since 2024, putting them on equal footing to water, energy and emergency services systems, making gaining planning permission easier.
The Government said the move was necessary because they are “critical to nearly all economic activity and public services”.
Now the Greens are calling for that to be reversed, arguing data centres consume significant amounts of water at a time when large parts of the UK have been in drought.
Instead, new centres should receive permission only once they show they will meet the highest environmental standards and have gone through community consultation.
Mr Polanski said: “We need to slam the brakes on the rampant building of new data centres which could put our communities at risk of water shortages and drive up energy bills – and yet are currently being waved through by our Government.
“Data should serve people, not the other way around – but right now, because data centres are designated as critical infrastructure, people come a poor second, with data centres even being given priority for water and electricity.”
He also argued that ministers are riding “roughshod” over communities by not allowing local people a say on planning decisions.
“We need clear criteria to distinguish between data centres vital to national security or public services and those that simply serve private tech companies and private profit,” he added.
“And, crucially, there must be no scenario in which a data centre receives priority in a drought over households, public services or essential food production.
“Labour’s response to the environmental and social impacts of AI-driven data centres has been negligible and negligent.
“We need a new and comprehensive approach to AI and data centres that prioritises public control, environmental responsibility, protection of workers, joined-up planning, and democratic accountability.”
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This article appeared in The National Scot
https://www.thenational.scot/news/26498669.can-regulate-data-centres-scotland/
The next speculative asset bubble…but when will it pop…
If AI is the future and leads to the next Industrial Revolution, failure to invest now would be akin to those countries who missed the first Industrial Revolution and ended up as what we call today ‘developing nations,’ and basically colonies of those who did.
yes, it could be a bubble- it could also be completely vital to future prosperity and stepping back could be a massive strategic mistake. So soubds right the greens opposed!
On water usage, it’s a fraction of total usage – far less than golf courses. I think 0.02 to 0.04% of total uk consumption.
China is going to make all of their AI free to use to burst the Western AI bubble, they know the west can’t compete with them in any other arena, so, why allow them to make money on AI?
A fairly simple solution to this quandary could involve requiring data centre operators to generate a percentage of its own power on‑site, and procure a percentage from local distributed renewables. I’m not saying this idea is a magic bullet but we could at least give it serious consideration.
They should be built by the coast so they can use sea water for cooling, and they shouldn’t cost or impact the public in any way, it’s not like these AI companies can’t afford the expense…