Two planned datacentres will have higher UK carbon emissions than ExxonMobil, analysis finds
Exclusive: Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire sites predicted to emit 4.5m tonnes a year when fully running The carbon emissions from just two planned datacentres in England will exceed all of the fossil fuel company ExxonMobil’s UK emissions, analysis has revealed. Experts have said this demonstrates the “serious threat” datacentres pose to the UK’s legally binding climate goals. Continue…
Two planned datacentres in Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire are predicted to emit more carbon emissions than ExxonMobil, a major fossil fuel company. The Foxglove analysis reveals that the Wapseys Wood datacentre in Buckinghamshire and the Quest Park datacentre in Bedfordshire will consume 1.3GW of power when fully operational, producing over 4.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
This is more than double ExxonMobil's 2023 UK emissions of 3.9 million tonnes, as per the global energy thinktank Ember. These datacentres are seeking to build their own on-site gas-fired power stations due to the lengthy wait to connect to the UK's electricity grid. With nearly 315 datacentres in the queue to connect, they represent a demand of 73GW, almost double the peak winter energy demand for the entire UK.
Foxglove's analysis suggests these projects could produce 4.577 million tonnes of carbon emissions per year if they run at full capacity. The government has criticized Foxglove's figures as "misleading" due to the assumption of 100% utilisation from day one, which Foxglove acknowledges follows industry practice. Environmental campaigners argue that these projects pose a "serious threat" to the UK's legally binding climate goals, and that unchecked datacentre growth makes transitioning away from fossil fuels harder.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Technology's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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