Data centre blitz threatens Labour's net zero hopes
Sir Keir Starmer's bid to boost the economy with a slew of new data centres threatens to undermine Labour's net zero goals, campaigners have warned.
Just one £10bn data centre project in the North East will emit as much carbon dioxide as one of Britain's busiest airports, highlighting the difficult trade-offs facing the Prime Minister as he seeks to both improve growth and reduce emissions.
A complex of 10 facilities near Blyth, Northumberland, will generate more greenhouse gas emissions than Birmingham Airport, which carries 12m passengers per year, planning documents show.
The project, which will cover 133 acres, is being helmed by Blackstone-backed QTS and was touted by the Prime Minister last September as a 'huge vote of confidence in the UK'. Work is expected to start on the site later this year.
Martha Dark, of the non-profit group Foxglove, said: 'It is difficult to see how the Government plans to reach its manifesto commitment of hitting net zero by 2050 when it is approving construction projects that add the impact of a major regional airport to our annual emissions.'
Data centres are crucial to artificial intelligence (AI) and Sir Keir has made establishing them a key priority as he seeks to harness the new technology. Data centres were designated as critical national infrastructure last September and the Prime Minister has identified certain areas as 'AI growth zones', making it is easier to build there.
The projects require huge amounts of power. In a report this week, Alex de Vries-Gao, founder of the Digiconomist website, calculated AI data centres would need 23GW of power worldwide by the end of 2025. The UK's average national power demand is around 30GW.
Tech companies have turned to nuclear to try and meet the surging demand for power in an environmentally friendly way, including restarting ageing plants.
However, the industry has struggled to bring nuclear power online fast enough to meet rising demand. Both Microsoft and Google reported increases in their carbon emissions in their latest annual reports.
In a paper published in the journal Joule, Mr de Vries-Gao said: 'There are early indications that these data centres could exacerbate dependence on fossil fuels.'
The 'hyperscale' scheme
The 'hyperscale' data centre in Blyth, which received the green light earlier this month, will emit 184,160 tonnes of CO2 per year once operational. Northumberland County Council, which approved the scheme, said the facility would double its overall industrial emissions and represent 12pc of the county's overall emissions by 2030.
Council documents show officials asked QTS to consider adding more renewable power or battery storage facilities to its plans, however the developer had 'discounted' these as impractical.
The data facility's expected emissions assume the UK remains on track with its plans to decarbonise the grid. In an environmental report submitted by QTS, the operator said it had received feedback that the council was concerned the project could 'throw off' the local authority's own green target of carbon neutrality by 2030. Councillors agreed to proceed with the scheme regardless.
Ms Dark said: 'The most optimistic forecasts for this new hyperscale data centre in Northumberland say it would create close to 200,000 tonnes of new carbon emissions each year – somewhere between the annual emissions of Birmingham and Edinburgh airports.'
A Government spokesman said: 'Our Clean Power Action Plan will enable the development of new energy intensive industries such as data centres, helping to grow the economy.
'Advanced modular reactors will play a particularly important role in growing energy-hungry sectors like AI and we're shaking up the planning rules to make it easier to build nuclear power stations across the country.'
A Northumberland County Council spokesman said: 'The council's strategic planning committee carefully considered a wide range of issues contained within the environmental statement submitted as part of the application under the EIA regulations.
'In making their decision members noted that the applicant will be utilising a high number of sustainable practices which will help to mitigate its carbon footprint. The applicant will also continue to look at innovative technology throughout the life of the development, which could in the future help to mitigate against this further.'
A QTS spokesman said: 'The right energy mix is crucial for building this vital infrastructure. From day one, our industry-leading design and advanced water-cooling systems will drive maximum energy efficiency. We are further committed to finding new ways to reducing future emissions by integrating renewables into our energy supply and repurposing residual heat to benefit the local community.'
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