Current status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that greenhouse gas emissions analysis underpinning its “green data centre” policy might not fully account for hyperscale AI data centres, what plans it has to review these figures.
To support preparation of National Planning Framework 4, the then Scottish Government commissioned independent research on the Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of NPF4 proposed National Developments. This was first published in 2021 and updated in October 2022.
As the scale and characteristics of data centre developments evolve, we will continue to monitor developments and consider whether further evidence gathering is required. In the meantime, any proposed development schemes remain subject to planning and environmental assessment requirements.