Scottish Parliament launches datacentre impacts inquiry

Two committees of the Scottish Parliament have opened an inquiry into hyperscale datacentres, asking experts and the public for evidence on their environmental, economic and energy effects. The inquiry comes as more than 20 large projects are proposed across the country, according to FutureScot. The largest existing site is thought to be far smaller than most of them (see below).

The inquiry does not decide any individual application. The committees plan to share their findings with the Scottish Government ahead of its own guidance, so what they hear could shape the rules that local councils and developers work to.

What is changing and when: Scotland hyperscale datacentre regulation changes

The climate action committee is seeking evidence on environmental impacts, from construction and operation to the long-term disposal of waste, hardware and materials. The economy, tourism and energy committee is looking at the economic and energy implications. The call for views is open from 7 October to 15 November 2026, and the climate action committee will hold evidence sessions in October and November. It has also agreed to consider whether to do further work later.

The inquiry sits alongside changes already announced by the Scottish Government. According to the BBC, in August ministers said they must be notified of proposed centres above 50MW. In September, the government said environmental impact assessments would be required. FutureScot reports this covers new facilities above 50MW, while Holyrood reports that existing applications are included too.

The government rejected a call from the Scottish Greens to pause applications until national guidance is in force. It said it was “highly unlikely” any large datacentre would be approved before Christmas, and Public Finance Minister Hannah Mary Goodlad has said guidance will be published by then. The practical timeline is therefore a consultation closing on 15 November, followed by guidance by late December.

Who is affected: planning, energy and jobs

The scale of the proposals explains the interest. The BBC says the biggest datacentre in Scotland is thought to be DataVita’s site in Airdrie, with a capacity of 12MW. The table shows how far the proposals go beyond that.

By our arithmetic, the Chapelcross proposal is about 83 times the capacity of the Airdrie site. Across the country, ETDatacenters reports National Energy System Operator figures showing around 30 projects seeking 9.7GW of grid connections, against an estimated 30MW of existing colocation capacity in autumn 2024. That is roughly 320 times the current figure, if every project were built.

None of the sources says what this would mean for household energy bills, so we do not claim a link. The economy committee is asking whether Scotland’s energy systems can support such centres. For jobs, the BBC says the Lanarkshire AI growth zone promised £8bn of investment and 3,400 jobs, of which about 800 are expected to be in AI, with 50 apprenticeships and the rest in construction.

What supporters and critics say about the environmental impact assessment and wider plans

Supporters point to investment and employment. CX Tech says Chapelcross would deliver around 500 full-time jobs. Chief executive Graeme Anderson called it a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” and said the site could “bring together our renewable energy strengths, digital infrastructure and high-value jobs”. The BBC reports that Apatura, the developer behind 10 of the Scottish proposals, highlights its access to renewable energy and battery storage.

Critics focus on scale, electricity, water and noise. Green MSP Laura Moodie said Chapelcross would be “completely reckless” without clear national guidance, and said its emissions would be almost double the limit for the whole of Dumfries and Galloway. CX Tech’s response to the emissions claim is not given in the sources we have used. Holyrood reports that more than 2,000 objections were lodged in four days through a Greens-run portal, and that MSPs voted down the party’s moratorium motion.

The BBC adds that experts caution datacentres in Scotland would not run entirely on renewable energy, because fossil fuel plants may be needed when wind is low. It also reports concern about water for cooling, though an expert recently claimed existing Scottish datacentres use less water each day than libraries do.

What to do now

If you have expertise or a stake in the issue, the call for views is a direct way to put evidence in front of the committees before the guidance is written. It closes on Sunday 15 November 2026, so a short, specific response on noise, water, jobs or grid capacity is likely to be more useful than a general one.

If you live near a proposed site, check your local council’s planning portal for the application and its objection deadline, as these can fall before national guidance is published. Ms Moodie says residents near Chapelcross have only weeks to respond. Then watch for the Scottish Government guidance promised by Christmas, which should show how the new environmental checks will work in practice.