{
  "id": 2358014,
  "title": "Proposed London datacentre will have annual carbon footprint of 27,000 flights to New York",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/proposed-london-datacentre-will-have-annual-carbon-footprint-of-27-2358014",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-21T10:00:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Technology",
    "slug": "guardian-technology",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/21/proposed-london-datacentre-will-have-annual-carbon-footprint-of-27000-flights-to-new-york"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Planning documents have revealed that a proposed \"hyperscale\" datacentre in north Ockendon, known as the East Havering Data Centre Campus (EHDCC), would generate over 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, equivalent to the carbon footprint of 27,000 long-haul flights from London to New York. The 218-hectare site, set to become one of Europe's largest datacentre campuses upon completion, would consume the electricity demand of more than 1 million UK households. If approved, the £14.7 billion project would emit 72 million tonnes of CO2 over its 60-year lifespan, 1.2 million tonnes annually. Critics argue this would significantly hinder the UK's ability to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and the loss of green belt land and wildlife habitats threatens local ecosystems.",
  "summary": "Exclusive: Planning documents show datacentre in north Ockendon will be incompatible with UK net zero targets A “hyperscale” datacentre in outer London would generate more than 1m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to the carbon footprint of 27,000 flights from London to New York, planning documents show. The East Havering Data Centre Campus (EHDCC) in north Ockendon would be one of the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Guardian Business",
        "title": "Proposed London datacentre will have annual carbon footprint of 27,000 flights to New York",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/proposed-london-datacentre-will-have-annual-carbon-footprint-of-27",
        "published": "2026-08-21T10:00:31.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}