Meeting of the Parliament 24 June 2026 [Draft]
I am aware that local authorities and planning departments are calling for a little more clarity. In the AI strategy, we already committed to publishing guidance on what factors are prevalent in a green data centre. Planning authorities might use a range of factors when considering those matters. I do not think that Alan Brown would expect me to comment on a particular development, as that would not be helpful at all.
We are looking to consider matters around whether the data centre is powered from renewable energy sources, whether it makes use of energy-efficient technologies, whether it seeks to minimise water consumption by using a closed-loop system and whether it supports the reuse of excess heat for applications such as the ones that I have mentioned. Planning consideration could also be given as to where data centres are sited in order to allow industrial decarbonisation opportunities.