MPs fear data centre boom could derail Miliband’s net zero plans

Proposed Thames Data Freeport

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The public finds his net zero plans derail their budgets when it comes to energy bills. Climate obsession and data centre expansion both squeeze power availability, one due to intermittency and the other to 24/7 high consumption.
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Ed Miliband has been urged to explain whether a planned boom in energy-hungry data centres has been factored into his plans to deliver net zero carbon emissions, says BBC News.

In a letter to the energy secretary, Labour MP Toby Perkins, who chairs the Environmental Audit Committee, said data centres are a “key area of concern” in hitting the emissions target.

Data centres are giant facilities full of powerful computers used to run digital services, such as streaming and artificial intelligence (AI).

The government has backed plans for many more to be built to help turn the UK into an “AI superpower”, despite the large amounts of electricity needed to run them, including from gas-powered generators. [Talkshop comment – gasp!]

Perkins said it was concerning that the UK government was relying on a carbon-reduction plan that made no allowance for the impact of data centres.

“The issue of data centres and its impact on energy use and emissions have been highlighted as a key area of concern, which is why my committee was concerned by its omission in CB7,” Perkins said in his letter to Miliband.

Perkins added: “We would like to know whether this has been accounted for and how, including projections of emissions and possible mitigations.”

The BBC has asked Miliband’s department for comment.

On Wednesday, Miliband told a committee of MPs his Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) would scrutinise emissions from data centres. [Talkshop comment – missing the power supply point?]

Last year, the BBC reported that almost 100 new data centres were being planned.
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The impact of data centres on energy demand came up during Miliband’s appearance in front of the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee on Wednesday.

Miliband said it was “obviously important to take into account the impact of data centres”.

But when pressed on whether the Climate Change Committee had accounted for data centres in its latest carbon budget, Miliband said: “I don’t know the answer but I’m happy to find out.”

Full article says BBC News.
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Image: Proposed Thames Data Freeport [credit: DCD]