Organisations in the energy sector have today launched an industry charter aimed at addressing concerns around the development of data centres in Scotland.
The charter Delivering green data centres in Scotland focuses on renewable energy, energy efficiency, water consumption, district heat and community benefits.
It attempts to counter some of the key objections to the building of such facilities over issues such as environmental and visual impact.
Opposition has grown in local communities such as Auchtertool in Fife where a proposed data centre would be larger than the village itself.
The charter addresses “common misunderstandings”, such as the quantity of water a data centre will use, and highlights benefits that well-sited data centres can bring to an overstretched electricity system.
It has the support of organisations including Prosper, the Renewable Energy Association, Ravenscraig Ltd, Heat Network Scotland and Apatura Energy.
“A lot of the information on water use is based on historical US data where evaporative cooling has been used in some locations,” said Giles Hanglin, chief executive of data centre developer Apatura Energy.
“Data centres are an established and essential feature of daily life, underpinning the way we shop, communicate and learn, to lifesaving medical research, climate modelling, and the systems that support banking, transport, and telecommunications.
“The UK Government recognises data centres as ‘critical national infrastructure’, putting them on a par with energy, water, and emergency services.
“The Scottish Government views green data centres as ‘essential infrastructure’ which, if designed sustainably, can deliver secure, low-carbon operations, support local communities, boost employment, and drive economic growth.”
He notes that, at present, Scotland relies heavily on data centres in other countries, including Ireland, Norway, the UAE and the US.
Data centres have already been identified in the Scottish Government’s Green Industrial Strategy as a target industry for investment. They are also highlighted in Scotland’s Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4), which identifies green data centres as a National Development that are a “fundamentally important utility”, supporting Scotland’s economic and social needs.
Mr Hanglin added: “In the last year there has been a significant increase in proposals to develop data centres in Scotland, driven by global demand and the country’s natural advantages including a cool climate, abundant renewable energy and availability of land.
“Fortunately, Scotland has some of the most rigorous planning and environmental regulations in the world, meaning data centres developed here will have a lower impact than those built elsewhere. Plus, they can bring significant inward investment, jobs and community benefit.
“This charter sets out five core principles which we believe should underpin the development of all data centres in Scotland – ensuring they are built to the very highest sustainability standards.”
Sandy Begbie, chief executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise, has claimed that the opposition to data centres would send the wrong signals to the investment community.
How data centres are storing up suspicions
#Charter #aims #address #concerns #data #centres #Daily #Business