APRS News
With the energy price cap going up today and news that bills will be rising for households this winter, we calculated that the AI Growth zone electricity subsidies mean that the current site plus extension would get subsidies of £6.7 million a year when complete, and the whole AI growth zone which is planned to be 500MW, when constructed, would get a subsidy of over £80 million a year.
This week The National did a series on hyperscale data centres and this essay was published on the first day of the series. In it Kat Jones, APRS Director, explains about the campaign until now and where do we go from here? You can also watch the podcast she recorded with the National journalist Jamie Calder.
oday fourteen local communities campaigning against proposals for data centres have announced that they will be rallying outside parliament to call for an immediate moratorium on hypercsale AI data centres. As MSPs return to Parliament next week, the campaigners will be gathering and they are inviting the many supporters they have across the country to join them.
On 18 August Channel 4 News did a section on the Scottish hyperscale data centre campaign bringing in the Auchtertool, Larbert and Chapelhall campaigns.
Today APRS have written to Hannah Mary Goodlad MSP, Minister for Public Finance welcoming her announcements yesterday and asking for her to go further to bring in EIAs for all hyperscale data centres and a pause on applications for hyperscale data centres to allow for time to put in place the guidance and policies needed.
There have been stories today about the AI Growth zone, for example this one from BBC, that says there is a ‘£300m plan to expand the zone’. This deserves a little scrutiny.
The Scottish Government has today made an announcement on hyperscale data centres. All planning authorities will be required to notify
Police Scotland said “a great deal of public opposition is likely” to the proposed hyperscale data centre in Larbert in their official response to the planning consultation for the development. This was uploaded to the planning portal the same week as the local community held another well-attended protest.
Environmental charities have written to Scotland’s First Minister renewing calls for an immediate moratorium on hyperscale AI data centres until key environmental conditions are met, as opposition gathers pace and campaigners race to prevent two major developments at Auchtertool and Larbert.