ALL proposed AI data centres in Scotland must undergo a full environmental impact assessment, the Scottish Greens said today.

The party said new requirements for hyper-scale data centres in Edinburgh and at Auchtertool in Fife implemented by the Scottish government should be expanded to include all similar projects.

Under new rules, councils will now also have to notify ministers about data centre applications exceeding 50 megawatts, but the Greens pointed out there are no obligatory environmental assessments across the country.

The party’s spokesman Mark Ruskell MSP said required environmental impact assessments for the developments in Edinburgh and Auchtertool is a “welcome victory for communities and campaigners, but it cannot stop at two sites.

“If ministers recognise that these enormous developments could have significant environmental consequences, then every hyperscale data centre must face the same rigorous assessment, wherever in Scotland it is proposed.

“Communities deserve to know how much electricity and water these sites will consume, what strain they will place on the grid and whether they will rely on diesel generators for backup power before any decision is made.”

Mr Ruskell said the scale of the Auchtertool development shows why scrutiny is essential, adding that the developers’ climate impact estimates say the site “could eventually consume the equivalent to the annual electricity use of around 1.6 million typical households.”

He added: “The Scottish government has not paused a single proposal, established what a so-called ‘green’ data centre actually is or provided councils with the binding national framework they urgently need.

“Scotland cannot allow speculative developments to be approved one by one while gambling with our renewable future.”

The Scottish government was contacted for a response.