John Swinney has said his Government will consider if it is “appropriate” for councils to decide on proposed new hyperscale data centres, adding he recognises the level of “public concern” around such sites.
He told MSPs on Thursday he will “explore” whether decisions on data centres should be taken locally, “given the scale of the developments involved”.
It comes as campaigners continue to raise concerns about the environmental impact of large data centres, with the First Minister told last week the 24 developments currently proposed could use up to 6,000 megawatts of electricity – more than Scotland’s entire national power use at peak times.
After reflecting on the issue, Mr Swinney said he will “explore whether it is appropriate for such decisions to be undertaken at local level”.
He added “large scale” renewable energy projects are “automatically” decided by the Scottish Government, but added that change could see “quite a fundamental reshaping of the planning policy of our country and the way in which decisions are taken”.
Scottish Greens and campaigners have been pressing the Government to declare a moratorium on new large-scale data centres.
With Green co-leader Gillian Mackay raising the issue at First Minister’s Questions, Mr Swinney said he is also giving “active consideration to whether the Scottish Government should provide planning guidance to balance the rapid expansion of hyperscale data centres with national energy and climate goals”.
Hyperscale data centres are popping up across Scotland, with no requirement to assess their environmental impact.
Greens are calling for a pause on new data centres until the government provides clear guidance on their impact on Scotland.
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— Scottish Greens (@scottishgreens) June 24, 2026
Ms Mackay told him councils “are saying they don’t have the necessary guidance to decide on these mega plans”.
Mr Swinney told her work on the issue “would be undertaken a matter of priority by the Government”.
The First Minister said: “I appreciate the urgency of this question because there are a number of applications that are now being considered by planning authorities.
“My view is that with the concerns being expressed by planning authorities, the Government has to be responsive to that.”
Kat Jones, director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, said afterwards: “We have been calling for clarity on Scottish Government policy around ‘green data centres’ since December so it is encouraging to hear that the First minister will be doing this as a matter of priority.
“However there are active planning applications for ‘green data centres’ in two councils, Falkirk and Fife, and one being appealed for Edinburgh, so we need this commitment to be accompanied by an urgent pause on all applications for hyperscale data centres while this is carried out.”