BBC investigation: four UK AI data centres eye gas power despite net zero pledge
BBC File on 4 finds hyperscale data centres planning gas-fired generation after Budget rule change, sparking MP criticism.
What to know
- BBC File on 4 Investigates found four planned UK hyperscale data centres considering gas-fired power, which could emit more CO2 than Manchester, Liverpool and Southampton combined.
- The finding follows a Budget announcement letting data centres build onsite power generation while awaiting grid connections, as part of a new British Data Centre Covenant.
- Ofgem data shows data centre developers are seeking 72 gigawatts of grid connections versus the UK's 45-gigawatt peak demand, with some facing up to 10-year waits.
- A Labour MP who chairs the Environmental Audit Select Committee calls the gas-power trend 'not acceptable' and incompatible with the UK's net zero goals.
Toby Perkins MP Chair, Environmental Audit Select Committee
John Healey UK ChancellorNathan McWhinnie Head of market intelligence and oversight, OfgemUK Government Policy maker
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Government defends Data Centre Covenant as essential for economy
The government responded that data centres were 'essential to Britain's economy' and that the new Data Centre Covenant set clear expectations for developers to pay a fair share of energy system costs and deliver local benefits.
“Government absolutely shouldn't be in the business of just saying anyone who wants to bring it here, can do whatever you like to power it, because that is not acceptable.”
— Toby Perkins MP, Chair, Environmental Audit Select Committee · source -
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AI is the energy problem and an emissions problem too: AI data centres could undermine UK's emissions goals
2 more of the top 3 · 5 posts in this stretch
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More climate vandalism in the name of # LLM tech: > BBC File on 4 Investigates has discovered that four planned "hyperscale" data centres - including three in the south of England - are already considering using gas-fired power to meet their electricity needs, creating more CO2 than the cities of Manchester, Liverpool and Southampton combined…
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The mental AI Datacenter push isn't, like let's be honest do we really know how much Datacenters for AI is being used for useful stuff for increasing productivity than subsidizing people in India creating islamaphobic GenAI memes to share with their families on WhatsApp? Before anyone says, yes that's because like a majority of ChatGPT users are…
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Toby Perkins MP calls gas-powered data centres unacceptable — Labour MP Toby Perkins, who chairs the Environmental Audit Select Committee, said a substantial increase in natural gas use for data centres 'can't be the future' and criticised the government's approach.
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Ofgem cites surging grid demand from data centre developers — Ofgem said data centre developers are seeking grid connections totalling 72 gigawatts against last year's national peak demand of 45 gigawatts, with some developers facing waits of up to 10 years for grid upgrades.
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BBC finds four hyperscale data centres considering gas-fired power
BBC File on 4 Investigates identified four planned hyperscale data centres, including three in southern England, already weighing gas-fired power stations; running continuously at full capacity they would need 1.3 gigawatts and could emit more CO2 than Manchester, Liverpool and Southampton combined.
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first by BBC, 5d ago · also BBC Science
2 more headlines
- AI data centres could undermine UK's emissions goals BBC Science · 5d ago
- AI data centres could undermine UK's net zero goals Mastodon · 2d ago
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Healey's Budget lets data centres build onsite power while awaiting grid access — During the Budget speech, Chancellor John Healey announced a British Data Centre Covenant requiring operators to invest in communities and protect water supplies in exchange for priority grid connections, while permitting onsite power generation where grid connections are unavailable.
What people are saying 2 voices from 1 site · best of 5 · verbatim
- Yesterday
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Data centres do not poison your local environment unless they’re run on generators, which “poisons your local environment” in the same way a petrol station does. There is no actual industrial process occurring inside a data centre, they use water for cooling, usually in a closed or semi-closed loop.
- Nov 6
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Revolut are going for Open-Weight AI Models which means the path to profitability is disappearing and the only way to make it is basically hoard memory and other component production.