Jakarta, INTI - Data centre developers are under mounting pressure to disclose whether their projects will add to the UK’s net greenhouse gas emissions, amid fears that the facilities could significantly increase national electricity consumption.
Advocacy groups have sent a letter to the UK technology secretary, Liz Kendall, cautioning that the power demands of new AI infrastructure pose a “serious threat to efforts to decarbonise the electricity grid.”
According to the letter, developers must prove that their projects will not drive up the UK’s total CO2 emissions or worsen local water shortages, as part of the forthcoming national policy statement (NPS) on data centres.
“Without these commitments, such vast electricity use will inevitably generate vast climate emissions,” the campaigners write.
The letter is backed by Foxglove, which campaigns against the dominance of major technology firms, along with five other NGOs, including the environmental group Friends of the Earth.
Meanwhile, MPs on the environmental audit committee have launched an inquiry into the environmental sustainability of data centres and released correspondence from the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, who noted that future energy demand from data centres “remains inherently uncertain”. The UK has pledged to reach net zero by 2050, meaning overall greenhouse gas emissions would be balanced by the volume removed from the atmosphere.
The energy regulator for Great Britain, Ofgem, recently estimated that electricity requests from new data centre proposals could surpass the country’s current peak power usage. In a consultation published this month, Ofgem stated that around 140 proposed schemes, largely driven by AI expansion, could require up to 50GW of electricity, 5GW above Great Britain’s existing peak demand.
Proposed facilities in Elsham, Lincolnshire, and Cambois, Northumberland, are each expected to require 1GW of electricity, comparable to the output of a nuclear power plant, and would need to be supported by additional renewable energy generation.
The UK is experiencing a surge in data centre development amid heavy AI-related investment. These facilities act as the backbone of AI systems such as chatbots and image generators, supporting the training and operation of tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. However, they demand substantial electricity to power servers and significant water resources for cooling.
Campaigners also point to a proposed new Google data centre in Essex that is projected to produce more than half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, roughly equivalent to about 500 short-haul flights per week.
The letter concludes, “With an estimated 100-200 proposed new datacentres in the planning system already, it is crucial that the NPS fully acknowledges and addresses these challenges, to ensure that the public and the climate do not end up footing the environmental bill for these facilities.”
The UK has pledged to establish an almost entirely carbon free electricity system by 2030, a goal that is now facing uncertainty amid growing concerns about escalating power costs nationwide.
Push for Clear Environmental Standards
The letter urges the introduction of a formal framework to assess the environmental footprint of data centres, alongside a requirement for developers to finance new renewable energy capacity linked directly to their projects.
It further demands safeguards against “greenwashing”, including practices where companies avoid building new renewable infrastructure by purchasing renewable energy certificates. Such certificates indicate that a business is offsetting part of its consumption with green power, even though the actual electricity it uses comes from the main grid, which still relies partly on fossil fuels.
Government Response and Renewable Strategy
A government spokesperson stated that data centres are contributing to economic expansion and could support the UK in addressing environmental challenges. The spokesperson added that a newly established energy committee would assist in securing renewable energy supplies for upcoming projects.
“Datacentres will increasingly be powered by renewables and our AI energy council is exploring opportunities to attract investment in new clean power sources for the industry, while the planning system takes water scarcity into account,” the spokesperson said.
Conclusion
As the UK accelerates AI-driven infrastructure growth, the expansion of data centres presents a critical test of the country’s net-zero ambitions. Striking a balance between digital innovation and environmental responsibility will determine whether economic progress aligns with long-term climate commitments.
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