![\"Ravenscraig](\"https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Ravenscraig-data-centre.png\")
Organisations in the energy sector have today launched an industry charter aimed at addressing concerns around the development of data centres in Scotland.<\/p>\n
The charter Delivering<\/em>\u00a0green data centres in Scotland<\/em> focuses on renewable energy, energy efficiency, water consumption, district heat and community benefits.<\/p>\n It attempts to counter some of the key objections to the building of such facilities over issues such as environmental and visual impact. <\/p>\n Opposition has grown in local communities such as Auchtertool in Fife where a proposed data centre would be larger than the village itself.<\/p>\n The charter addresses \u201ccommon misunderstandings\u201d, 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.<\/p>\n It has the support of organisations including Prosper, the Renewable Energy Association, Ravenscraig Ltd, Heat Network Scotland and Apatura Energy.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the information on water use is based on historical US data where evaporative cooling has been used in some locations,\u201d said Giles Hanglin, chief executive of data centre developer Apatura Energy.<\/p>\n \u201cData 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe UK Government recognises data centres as \u2018critical national infrastructure\u2019, putting them on a par with energy, water, and emergency services.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Scottish Government views green data centres as \u2018essential infrastructure\u2019 which, if designed sustainably, can deliver secure, low-carbon operations, support local communities, boost employment, and drive economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n He notes that, at present, Scotland relies heavily on data centres in other countries, including Ireland, Norway, the UAE and the US.<\/p>\n Data centres have already been identified in the Scottish Government\u2019s Green Industrial Strategy as a target industry for investment. They are also highlighted in Scotland\u2019s Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4), which identifies green data centres as a National Development that are a \u201cfundamentally important utility\u201d, supporting Scotland\u2019s economic and social needs.<\/p>\n Mr Hanglin added: \u201cIn the last year there has been a significant increase in proposals to develop data centres in Scotland, driven by global demand and the country\u2019s natural advantages including a cool climate, abundant renewable energy and availability of land.<\/p>\n \u201cFortunately, 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThis charter sets out five core principles which we believe should underpin the development of all data centres in Scotland \u2013 ensuring they are built to the very highest sustainability standards.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n How data centres are storing up suspicions<\/strong><\/p>\n \t <\/div>\n