Hundreds gather to urge Scottish government to pause datacentre boom
Opposition mounts as at least 20 projects proposed, including one in Fife billed as second largest in world Kat Jones may be the closest thing Scotland has to Erin Brockovich in 2026. Standing in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat outside Holyrood, the 52-year-old is revving up the crowd of protesters around her. “Who is here from Lammermuir? Ayrshire? What about Aberdeen?” she calls to the crowd. On…
A group of approximately 200 individuals gathered in Edinburgh to protest Scotland's expanding datacentre boom. The event was led by Kat Jones, a 52-year-old activist who compares her role to Erin Brockovich's. Jones is the director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, an NGO that aims to halt the rapid development of datacentres in rural areas.
Currently, at least 20 projects are proposed, including one in Fife, which has been dubbed the second largest in the world. Despite the Scottish government's commitment to a strategic approach to datacentres with a focus on environmental sustainability, resource use, and community benefit, the protesters are demanding a moratorium on the construction of new datacentres until a comprehensive analysis of their environmental impact is conducted.
The main concerns revolve around the environmental impact, the strain on the UK's energy grid, and the potential disruption to local communities. One such project is a £2bn datacentre planned in the Lammermuir hills, which campaigners argue would negatively impact a small village and nearby care homes and residential areas. The Scottish Greens and Reform UK have also expressed their support for a moratorium, highlighting the potentially detrimental effects on the environment and local communities.
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