More than 10,000 people have objected to a proposal for a massive £16.5 billion data centre in the south of Scotland, the Scottish Greens have said.
The party set up a portal to send objections to the 1gw Chapelcross development near Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, which it says would be the biggest data centre in the world.
CX Tech – the company behind the plans – claims the 162,000sq metre centre would be “net-zero” and provide 450 permanent jobs once up and running.
This area deserves better. Better quality jobs, better regeneration. They are selling the area short. This cannot be allowed to go ahead
But Green South of Scotland MSP Laura Moodie said: “More than 10,000 people lodging formal objections to the proposed hyperscale data centre at Chapelcross shows the strength of feeling locally and nationally about these plans.
“It should not be allowed to go ahead when there is such strong opposition and so many concerns about the consequences it could bring to our rural communities.
“This is one of the most concerning data centre applications to date, and it would use an unsustainably high amount of energy. Approving it will only increase the risk that households will face higher energy bills.
“The community have been given just weeks to respond to the possibility of the world’s largest data centre being set up on their doorstep, but they have already made their position clear.
“As one local resident said at a recent community meeting, this area deserves better. Better quality jobs, better regeneration. They are selling the area short.
“This cannot be allowed to go ahead.”
The Scottish Government stopped short of placing a moratorium on the building of new data centres, but now does require that ministers are notified of any new applications as well as environmental impact assessments being required for all centres above 50mw.
Government guidance is expected to be published by the end of the year.
Sam Gibson, from the group Say No to Chapelcross Data Centre, questioned Dumfries and Galloway Council’s decision to close objections on October 29 as he pushed for more people to voice their opposition.”The Scottish Parliament has said that no decisions should be made until the guidance is in place, so why is the council pushing ahead with this process?” he said.
“If the local authority can’t make a decision until they have guidance, how are we, in the community, supposed to properly respond to this huge and environmentally devastating development?
“We don’t know what is happening, everyone is confused.
“The number of diesel generators being proposed is absolutely frightening.
“Each will need to be tested on a regime that means that there will always be multiple diesel generators running, putting the local community at risk of serious air pollution.
“With a development that will require this much energy, we can’t believe that they will have diesel back-up generators putting the local community at risk.
“We are calling on people, both locally and from all over Scotland, to submit objections to this massively damaging development before the deadline.”
Kat Jones, the director of anti-data centre group Action to Protect Rural Scotland, said: “The climate implications of giving planning permission to even one data centre of this humongous size are serious and would likely make it impossible to achieve Scotland’s climate ambitions.
The suggestion that Dumfries and Galloway is being sold short overlooks the opportunity presented by the CX Technology Campus
“These are developments with energy demands bigger than anything the world has seen before.
“The use of fossil fuels is sky-rocketing everywhere hyperscale data centres are being built.”
A spokesperson for CX Technology Campus said: “The suggestion that Dumfries and Galloway is being sold short overlooks the opportunity presented by the CX Technology Campus.
“This is a proposed £16.5 billion investment, on a scale the region has never seen before, with the potential to support 750 construction jobs and create 450 permanent, skilled operational roles, alongside significant opportunities for local businesses, 40 apprenticeships per year over the build period, and training through a dedicated skills centre.
“There is significant misinformation about this project, particularly around its energy requirements and the potential impact on household bills.
“Our proposals are designed to use renewable energy supplied through dedicated connections, rather than drawing on the electricity needed by local homes and businesses.
“Claims that the development will inevitably drive up household energy bills are completely incorrect and fail to reflect how the campus is intended to operate.
“It is disappointing to see these misconceptions repeated about a project with the potential to deliver such significant economic benefits.
“We would encourage anyone commenting on the proposals to familiarise themselves with the facts and the detailed information submitted as part of the planning application.
“We believe Dumfries and Galloway deserves investment of this ambition and scale, and the opportunity to secure a lasting economic legacy.
“The proposals should be judged on their merits and the evidence presented through the planning process.”
Dumfries and Galloway Council has been contacted for comment.