{
  "id": 8267115,
  "title": "Drone strikes and noise disputes: The soaring risks of the global data centre boom",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/drone-strikes-and-noise-disputes-the-soaring-risks-of-the-global-data",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-18T14:55:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/drone-strikes-and-noise-disputes-the-soaring-risks-of-the-global-data-centre-boom/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The global surge in data centres presents both increased power consumption and growing community concerns, leading to complex insurance risks. According to a report by Howden, large lawsuits involving data centres more than tripled from four cases in 2021 to fourteen in the first half of 2026. Planning and environmental disputes are the primary drivers behind these legal battles.\n\nWhile noise and nuisance complaints, particularly related to diesel generator emissions and water consumption, have accounted for 78 per cent of the growth in liability cases involving data centres over the past three years, the sheer scale of infrastructure being constructed is drawing backlash from residents and regulators. In the UK, Ofgem has already voiced concerns about speculative data centre projects overwhelming the country's electricity network.\n\nMoreover, data centre infrastructure faces growing exposure to geopolitical instability and conflict worldwide. As of 2025, data centre space located within 10-15km of active global conflict zones equaled around 60 per cent of total recorded capacity over the previous five years, signifying how digital infrastructure has expanded near war-torn regions. In 2025, five data centres in the UAE and Bahrain were targeted by Iranian drones during the early stages of the US war in Iran, marking the first deliberate wartime attack on commercial data centres.\n\nAs physical and digital risks intertwine, the boundaries between cyber, property, and war insurance are blurring. To stay ahead, the market must align policy wordings and conduct comprehensive cyber-physical risk assessments. Edward Howland Jackson, Howden's chief commercial officer for global specialty, emphasized that understanding where these risks are concentrated is crucial for data centre operators, developers, and investors. The insurance market can do more than just provide additional capacity; it can leverage data, expert advice, and risk transfer to assist clients in early identification of exposures and building resilience as the sector continues to expand. Jackson concluded, \"Navigating this increasingly complex risk landscape requires specialist risk expertise and deep insurance market insight.\"",
  "summary": "As data centres scale, consume more power, and draw tighter community scrutiny, insurance risks are becoming increasingly complex. As AI infrastructure grows, so do legal risks: large lawsuits involving data centres more than tripled from four in all of 2021 to 14 in the first half of 2026, according to a Howden report. Planning and [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}