Plans for a new datacentre in Lincolnshire have been approved, despite warnings it could be a major new source of emissions.
On Wednesday, North Lincolnshire council voted unanimously to approve planning permission for the Elsham Tech Park, a proposed AI datacentre campus near Scunthorpe, next to the Elsham Wolds industrial estate.
According to the tech justice nonprofit Foxglove, the projected emissions produced will approach those generated by every domestic flight taken in the UK.
Council documents estimate the proposed datacentre’s “peak annual scope 2 emissions”, or indirect greenhouse gases from generating electricity, will reach about 1m tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2033-34. All of the UK’s domestic flights total 1.2m tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
The council concluded that, despite the “large absolute energy demand” of the development, the impact of emissions was not significant due to the datacentre’s proximity to clean energy sources in the Humber region.
According to Elsham Tech Park, construction is expected to begin in 2027, with a view to opening some parts of the campus in 2029. It plans to create up to 15 datacentre buildings across the site, generating up to 1GW of computing capacity, making it one of the largest datacentres proposed in the UK.
Concerns remain about the feasibility of this level of power generation. A separate AI project by the tech firm Nscale was meant to build a datacentre that could provide 50MW of AI capacity – with a view to upgrading to 90MW. However, a Guardian investigation has found that, nine months before it is due to be completed, it remains a scaffolding yard in Essex.
Elsham Tech Park claims the centre will create up to 900 long-term jobs and could attract up to £10bn of private investment, as well as giving priority to local businesses for supply chain opportunities.
“The numbers attached to this project are eye-watering – almost hard to get your head around,” said Rob Waltham, the leader of North Lincolnshire council, adding the centre was a “once-in-a-generation investment opportunity”.
He added: “This will bring thousands of construction jobs, hundreds of highly skilled, high-paid long-term roles, and the chance to build a new industry right here in Lincolnshire.”
On its environmental impact, Elsham Tech Park said the plan for the campus involves improving biodiversity, including new planting, bat and bird boxes and wildflower grassland. It added the centre will have a “highly water-efficient design” using closed-loop systems, which will use minimal water to cool its servers.
Tim Squirrell, the head of strategy at Foxglove, said: “It is incredibly disappointing to see big tech’s dubious claims of economic growth spurred by AI datacentres be put ahead of the ongoing climate crisis.”
Squirrell added North Lincolnshire council “ignored their own policy, which states 20% of energy must be generated through on-site renewables” and “credulously accepted the…
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