THE City of Edinburgh Council could be set to commission a report into the energy usage in AI and data centres.
This follows reports that a huge data centre set for construction near Edinburgh Airport will not require an environmental impact assessment (EIA).
A motion by Greens councillor Alys Mumford hopes to reaffirm the council’s commitment to taking into account high energy usage in its AI strategy and planning.
Two data centres are currently planned for construction near Edinburgh – one at the former Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters at Drummond House near Edinburgh Airport, and the other near Currie, close to the Heriot-Watt University campus.
Concerns have been raised that, following a planning application for the first of these data centres near Edinburgh airport, no EIA was required, despite estimations that the data centres could use the equivalent energy of more than 500,000 homes.
Councillor Mumford hopes to gain clarity from the council on its rules around screening developments requiring significant energy supply.
In her motion, Mumford claims that there is a “growing body of evidence” around the environmental impact of data centres in the UK.
Her motion was prompted by concerns raised in the press and the public that gluttonous data centres could use so much energy that their demand will be unable to be met by renewable energy alone.
This would set back the UK, Scotland, and Edinburgh’s net zero ambitions.
Chas Booth, Edinburgh Council Green Group climate spokesperson, said today: “Given the substantial energy and water consumption of these proposed data centres, it is unbelievable that the council does not require an energy impact assessment for these sorts of developments.
“I’m also concerned that the promise of renewable energy to power these developments will prove to be either completely unworkable and result in an increased reliance on fossil fuel generators, or will have a significant impact on the energy supplies for people and households in the surrounding area.
“Our motion is an attempt both to get clarity on where responsibility for governing this vast energy use sits, and to ensure that – if they go ahead – developers seeking to bring data centres to Edinburgh are required to invest in renewable energy security for the local area.”
The UK’s data centre infrastructure has expanded rapidly over the years, with 500 data centres now being operational across the country.
Following Scotland’s identification as a “data hotspot” due to its existing expertise in AI and big data, expansion has accelerated north of the border, with 16 data centres now operational in Scotland.
The BBC reported last week that Scotland’s data centres and AI infrastructure now uses more than 13 million litres of water per year.
Scottish Water, however, pointed out that this only amounted to 0.005% of Scotland’s water supply.
In addition, the University of Edinburgh recently won its bid to establish and operate the UK AI Factory Antenna, a project which will “focus on helping organisations take their first steps in AI, increasing literacy in the technology and its use” and show “how it can help increase productivity and deliver economic growth”.
In her motion, Councillor Mumford said: “Concerns have been raised in the press and by constituents around the energy consumption of data centres, and appraisals from Council Officers on recent applications that environmental impact assessments have not been required.
“There is a growing body of evidence around the environmental impact of data centres in the UK and concerns that increased energy demand cannot yet be met by renewable energy alone.”
Although data centre policy is ultimately decided by the UK and Scottish Governments, Councillor Mumford is requesting clarification, via a report from council officers, about Edinburgh Council’s rules concerning AI.
Edinburgh Council does not have an established position on AI, but, in 2024, it agreed that environmental considerations must play a role in the council’s use of AI in its “digital and smart city strategy”.
Booth continued: “These developments seem to be a classic example of the flawed ‘growth is good’ mentality that tells us that AI will lead to greater productivity without questioning at what cost.
“There is a real danger that a national desire for this infrastructure could ride roughshod over local concerns and our long-standing commitments towards net zero.
“At their heart, no matter how ‘green’ they may claim to be, use of mass data centres to fuel AI are an environmental disaster and no-one should fall for the greenwash of big tech.”
If accepted, this motion would see a report forwarded by council officers to the next Policy and Sustainability Committee “setting out the relevant legislation and governance requirements relating to data centres, in particular relating to environmental and climate change impacts”.
The motion will be heard at the full council meeting next Thursday.
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