Where are the data centres planned?
We have made a map of the hyperscale data centre projects being planned in Scotland.
Click on the map to find out information on the capacity, stage of planning, developer. And each proposed site has a dedicated webpage with more information including maps and plans, links to planning documents, and contact details of local campaign groups.
What we are asking for
We are asking for a moratorium on hyperscale data centres in Scotland until the Scottish Government examines the impact of them on Scotland’s climate targets, electricity grid and communities. And until there is a robust and meaningful definition of ‘green data centre’ and that all hyperscale data centres are required to do an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Here is the letter we wrote with Environmental Rights Centre Scotland to the Planning Minister putting the case.
Letter to Minister on Data centres and Planning Policy
This letter was sent on 18th December 2025 asking for a pause on all Data Centres in the planning system
Take Action
We have three urgent actions we are asking people to take – please see below:
Object to Greenock hyperscale data centre
Over 1600 objections were received – but the announcement from the Scottish Government on 16th September means all data centres over 50MW will require an EIA so this development will have to be reopened for consultation after this is produced.
Email your MSP about EIAs
We started this action on 10th September and by 16th September the Scottish Government announced that all data centres over 50MW would be required to have an EIA. Thank you to the 508 people who sent emails to their MSPS.
Object to Chapelhall hyperscale data centre
The announcement from the Scottish Government on 16th September means all data centres over 50MW will require an EIA so this development will have to be repoened for consultation after this is produced. So do not put Objections in at the moment
In addition to our Action Network petition which has gathered thousands of signatures, on 21st July 2026 the Scottish Parliament published our petition to place a moratorium on planning applications for data centres across Scotland. Please feel free to sign both petitions.
Our Events and webinars
Events and Webinars
Campaigner Day 19th September, Glasgow
Watch our Webinars
Meeting on the Edinburgh proposals
Thursday 5th March 2026
Augustine Church EH1 1EL
We hosted a meeting for people interested in the Edinburgh data centre applications, run in collaboration with Global Justice Now and we heard from their campaign officer Jane Herbstritt, Kat from APRS, Ben Christman of ERCS, and energy expert Victoria Plutshack. The evening was chaired by journalist Rachael Revesz.
All About Data Centres webinar
Monday 2nd March 2026
Webinar
This webinar gives an overview of hyperscale data centres globally and the proposals for data centres in Scotland.
We heard from energy expert Victoria Plutshack, Donald Campbell, Director of Advocacy at Foxglove, and Julie Bolthouse who runs a data centre campaign in Virginia.
Data Centres and the Planning System
Wednesday 25th March 2026
Webinar
This webinar looks at the tools communities can use to oppose hyperscale data centres planned in their area.
The focus is on explaining planning policy, and how to have your say in the Planning system. We heard from Nikki Sinclair and Kat Jones from APRS and Ben Christman of ERCS
Local campaigns
If you have a hyperscale AI data centre that is planned in your area and you want to know where to start with campaigning – read these tips. You can find out if there is a campaign already set up close to you on the data centre map (if you are not on there let us know!)
News from the campaign
PE2233: Moratorium on planning applications for all hyperscale data centres until their environmental impacts have been fully assessed Calling on
Saturday 19th September 2026. Join us for a day designed for those campaigning locally and nationally on hyperscale data centres.
The greenhouse gas emissions of hyperscale AI data centres have not been included in the Scottish Government’s analysis of the impact of ‘green data centres’ on Scotland’s climate targets, according to analysis by environmental charity APRS.
Campaigners are calling today for the full extent of the developments that will be part of the AI Growth Zone in Lanarkshire to be made public.
There is not the grid power to connect new hyperscale data centres so they will have to build onsite gas electricity generation or be flexible to use excess wind power in the grid in Scotland. This was the message from various sessions at major Energy Conference in Glasgow last week.
We have had a response back from a Freedom of Information Request that we sent to the UK Government regarding the Jobs estimates for the AI Growth Zone in Lanarkshire. Here is an analysis of this and the implications for the AI Growth zone.
Today we are publishing a report on employment and jobs reviewing publicly available figures globally for data centre employment including audited reports related to government funding schemes and other data from independent sources.
In this blog post Kat reflects on the decision to refuse a hyperscale data centre in Edinburgh and what this means for future decisions and our data centre campaign. This was first published in Bella Caledonia
APRS has calculated that a hyperscale data centre proposed for Edinburgh is planning to use diesel generators for back-up power which would be equivalent to over a hundred thousand idling diesel cars.
We have received a letter back from the Minister responsible for planning, Ivan McKee, to our letter on data centres calling for a moratorium and for data centres to have mandatory EIAs
Today APRS and ERCS wrote to the Planning Minister Ivan McKee to express concern about the energy demands of data centres coming through Scotland’s planning system. They called for a pause on all planning applications until a more strategic approach can be made and strict environmental standards are defined for data centres.
How you can get involved:
- If you live near one of the proposed developments, talk about it with your friends and neighbours. Get in touch if you want to campaign locally, we want to support local people to oppose data centres through giving advice on how to object through the planning system. Or find out more here.
- Set up a regular donation to support our work, we are only three part time people and we need supporters to fund us so we can do this work
- If you wish to donate to help pay for us to employ a planner, please contact Kat. More info for funders here:
- We have volunteers working on the project but are seeking some specialist volunteers:
- RTPI Planners to advise specific communities on their objections
- landscape architects, for the same
- Specialists in the electricity grid
- Specialists on AI and super computer
And, of course sign the petition (if you click the box to receive news we can stay in touch too)!
Briefings on Data Centres
Employment and Data Centres: APRS Report
This paper compares the job creation claims of developers planning hyperscale data centres in Scotland with data gathered from actual figures from data centres globally and a new analysis of a data set from Virginia (USA) relating to job creation across various sectors in their economy. It includes a review of the job creation claims of proposed data centres in Scotland.
All about hyperscale data centres
In this briefing – we explain the scale of data cantres coming to Scotland, and the impacts that hyperscale data centres.
Hyperscale AI Data Centres – briefing for MSPs
SCCS have written to the First Minister and the other party leaders calling for a moratorium on hyperscale data centres until they have studied the impacts on grid, climate and communities and have an appropriate definition for ‘green data centre’ and have put hyperscale and AI data centres on schedule 1 of the EIA regulations. This briefing gives more information on hyperscale data centres planned in Scotland.
Tips for hyperscale data centre campaigners
If you have a hyperscale AI data centre that is planned in your area and you want to know where to start with campaigning – here are a few tips
List of APRS Media Reports on Hyperscale Data Centres
Since we started our Campaign on hyperscale data centres in November 2025 we have achieved a really good amount of media coverage of the campaign. These are listed below.
List of Useful FoIs on Data Centres
The following table gives a list of FoIs related to Hyperscale Data Centres
Parliamentary Questions on AI Data Centres
Here is a list of Parliamentary Questions on hyperscale AI data centres which have been asked in the Scottish Parliament,
Data Centre calculator
Use this table to see how the energy capacity of the hyperscale data centres translate into figures that are more easy to understand.
How much energy will the planned data centres use?
Hyperscale data centres use extremely large amount of energy to run and cool the servers. This gives an estimated 7150 MW currently in the planning system or in pre-application consultation. Peak winter electricity demand in Scotland is just over 4,000 MW (NESO)
In addition there are 3 sites that are being planned but have not made it to the planning system yet. Two are of unknown capacity and one is 600MW scaling to ‘multigigawatt’ so this would be these would add up to a further 1300- 2700MW
Hyperscale AI data centres are the biggest threat to Scotland’s net zero target and to our countryside.
why we started the campaignUrgent: Can you help fund our work?
We are a tiny charity with just three part time staff and need funding to support our work and to employ a professional planner to help us assist communities to oppose data centres in their area.
- to keep a public database up to date of the applications coming in
- to offer bespoke advice to communities working on objecting to data centres near them
- to write example Objections for each development being planned and to submit Objections from APRS and to encourage other NGOs to Object
- to set up a map of sites being planned
- to bring together other NGOs to also object to the centres and coordinate out work in the area of planning campaigning
- to deliver training/webinars for communities and NGOs and to write guidance for objecting to data centers
- to advise on changes to NPF4 and Scottish Government policy on data centres
If you can help us, please do get in touch or donate on the button below.
More Reports and Resources
