Two planned UK datacentres could become major source of carbon emissions
Two pending facilities could together produce 4.57 million tonnes of CO2 annually
Two planned datacentres in England could produce more annual carbon emissions than ExxonMobil's entire UK operations when fully operational.
According to analysis by the non-profit group Foxglove, the Wapseys Wood site in Buckinghamshire and Quest Park in Bedfordshire are expected to require about 1.3GW of electricity.
As reported by The Guardian, Foxglove estimates that, if they operate at full capacity, the facilities could generate about 4.57 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
That compares with 3.9 million tonnes attributed to ExxonMobil's UK operations in 2023, according to energy thinktank Ember.
The findings have prompted warnings that the rapid expansion of datacentres, driven in part by demand for AI, could make it harder for the UK to meet its legally binding climate targets.
Gas-fired power stations raise emissions concerns
Datacentres consume large amounts of electricity to operate servers, cooling systems and other infrastructure.
With hundreds of projects waiting to connect to the national grid, some developers are seeking alternative sources of power.
Quest Park and Wapseys Wood are among those planning to use their own gas-fired power stations because of delays in securing grid connections.
Foxglove based its estimate on government figures for the carbon intensity of electricity generation.
It calculated that the two facilities could together produce 4.577 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
The government has challenged the figures, saying they are misleading because they assume both datacentres would operate at 100% capacity from the first day.
Tom Hegarty, communications head at Foxglove, said using a full-utilisation assumption was standard industry practice.
Friends of the Earth campaigner Kierra Box said the purpose of datacentres was ultimately to increase their workloads and operate at high capacity, making the projections relevant when assessing their potential environmental impact.
Concerns over fast-tracked developments
The two projects are among the first datacentres to be fast-tracked under the nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) regime.
The system allows major infrastructure developments to be assessed through a central process rather than by local planning authorities.
The former England and Wales Green party leader Caroline Lucas said fast-tracking the projects could insulate them from local scrutiny.
She argued that greater transparency and public scrutiny were needed to determine which projects should be built and where, rather than reducing opportunities for local involvement.
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told The Guardian datacentres were "a vital part of our economy" and supported economic growth and communities.
The government said it would support the growth of new industries by building large amounts of clean electricity.
Global datacentre demand is accelerating
The debate comes as the environmental footprint of datacentres grows internationally.
A recent report by the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health said datacentres and related infrastructure had substantial carbon, water and land footprints that were often overlooked in public discussions.
Datacentres consumed about 448TWh of electricity globally in 2025, according to the report. Researchers estimate that figure could more than double to 945TWh a year by 2030 as demand for computing power increases.
Water use is also expected to rise sharply. The report estimates that globally datacentres could require about 9.3 trillion litres of water annually, a volume comparable to the basic needs of 1.3 billion people.