Energy needs of data centres could power several trips in DeLorean – campaigners

Data centres planned for Scotland would require a “mindblowing” amount of energy that would be sufficient to power several trips in the famous time-travelling DeLorean from the Back To The Future films, campaigners have calculated.

In the hit movies, Doc Brown’s fictional time-travelling car required 1.21 gigawatts (GW) of energy to take Marty McFly, played by actor Michael J Fox, back to 1985 – with this more than the 1.19GW of power produced by the Torness nuclear power station in East Lothian.

Kat Jones, director of the countryside charity Action to Protect Rural Scotland (APRS), criticised the “ridiculous” amount energy needed by the “hyperscale” data centres.

APRS has calculated that data centres in the planning system and going though pre-application processes could require between 4.7 and 5.5 GW of power.

Dr Jones said: “We noticed that there were loads of press releases put out by developers about hyperscale data centres being planned all over Scotland, and it just seemed like the quantities of energy proposed to be used was getting ridiculous, and so we decided to look into it.

“We’ve found that the energy demand of all the data centres in the planning system at the moment would power the DeLorean to go back to the future four times.

“There are two more data centres that are not yet in formal planning processes that will add another time hop at least.

“This is an absolutely mind blowing amount of energy, much more than Scotland’s total energy demand.

“I really empathised with Doc Brown in the film, running round his workshop shouting ‘1.21 gigawatts’, because I felt like that when I added up all the numbers.”

According to APRS, there are 17 hyperscale data centres proposed across Scotland – 13 of which are currently in the planning system, two which are at the pre-application consultation process, and two which have not yet entered formal planning processes.

With data centres requiring a large and constant supply of energy, critics says they cannot run solely on renewables, with some relying on either gas turbine or diesel generators for when renewable power supplies fall short.

A data centre planned for the Gyle in Edinburgh includes two compounds which it is proposed will house diesel generators for back-up power.

Dr Jones said: “Given that the South Gyle data centre is proposed to be 200 MW, which is the energy that is needed to power 200,000 homes, I dread to think how much diesel will be being burned in Edinburgh, just upwind of the city centre, if this data centre turned to its back-up generation.

“The fact that no Environmental Impact Assessment for this development is being required is a national scandal.”

APRS, together with the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, recently wrote to the Scottish Government, urging ministers to pause applications for data centres so the impact on energy supplies, energy prices and net zero targets can be considered.

With the term “bragawatts” having been coined to describe the phenomenon of talking up the scale of data centres, Dr Jones said: “It’s hard to imagine another area of life where boasting about how much energy something uses would be a selling point.

“You don’t see washing machines, houses and TVs sold on the basis of how much energy they use – rather the reverse. Society has been trying to be as efficient on energy as possible to deal with the existential threat of climate breakdown, after all.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said:  “The Scottish Government acknowledges the significant levels of investment that green data centres can bring to Scotland, along with the role they can play in supporting regional economic development.

“It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Ministers to comment on a live or future application for proposed development. It is for the planning authority in the first instance to consider any application.”

The spokesperson continued: “Planning authorities have a responsibility to consider the environmental implications of all developments which require planning permission. If proposal is likely to have a significant environmental effect, procedures are set out in the EIA regulations. All proposed developments are considered on their own merits, in order to decide whether an Environmental Impact Assessment would be required.”