New datacenters in Scotland are projected to need 75% of the current national energy consumption, according to technology advocacy group Foxglove. Their findings suggest that 11 upcoming hyperscale facilities across Scotland will demand between 2,000-3,000 MW, while the country’s peak need is 4,000 MW. This data, sourced from local planning websites, might underestimate since more facilities could be planned without submitted applications yet.

Some developers haven’t disclosed the anticipated capacity of their datacenters, leading researchers to estimate 250 MW for three locations by ILI Group, and an additional one by Apatura. The remaining sites range between 200 and 300 MW, save for a 550 MW campus at Ravenscraig planned by Apatura. Altogether, these projects would require nearly 3 GW if realized, substantially impacting the energy landscape in Scotland.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) indicates that Scotland’s winter peak demand is slightly above 4 GW, expected to remain under 5 GW by 2030 under various scenarios. This projection contrasts with Foxglove’s report, which NESO had not commented on at the time of writing. Presently, Scotland’s energy generation nears 20 GW, predicted to surpass 40 GW by 2030.

Should Foxglove’s statistics hold, datacenters could soon account for over 40% of Scotland’s power use, surpassing Ireland where datacenters already use over 20% of electricity. Foxglove expresses concerns over increased greenhouse emissions from these centers, highlighting one planned facility’s emissions potentially matching those of Edinburgh airport.

Donald Campbell, director at Foxglove, criticizes governmental support for these datacenters amid their environmental impact. The NESO anticipates zero fossil fuel reliance by 2035-2040, implying future energy from datacenters will not emit greenhouse gases if grid-connected. However, current projections entail 10 to 15 years of emissions before this transition.

The UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology plans to encourage datacenter developments in regions with abundant renewable energy, like Scotland, by proposing energy discounts. NESO projects substantial growth in renewable energy within Scotland, conditional on grid upgrades to meet these demands.