Two Scottish Parliament committees have opened an inquiry into the effects of hyperscale datacentres, following public concern over a wave of proposals across the country. MSPs are seeking evidence on the environmental, economic and energy impacts of the facilities, with a call for views running from 7 October to 15 November 2026.
Hyperscale datacentres are large sites used for internet services, data processing and artificial intelligence. Scotland has none at present, but more than 20 have been proposed. Recent plans include a 300 MW facility by Apatura on a 55-acre disused site at Glenbervie Business Park in Larbert, near Falkirk, which the developer says could attract nearly £1 billion of investment and create thousands of jobs. CX Tech Limited has applied to Dumfries and Galloway Council for planning permission in principle for a campus of eight datacentres and a training centre at the former Chapelcross nuclear power station near Annan, while DataVita has applied to North Lanarkshire Council for a facility called DV4 at Chapelhall, Airdrie.
The climate action committee, convened by Stuart McMillan MSP, wants to examine environmental effects across the whole life of a datacentre, from construction and operation to the handling of waste, hardware and materials at the end of their use. It is asking experts about air and water quality, nature and biodiversity, noise and emissions, and how harm can be prevented or reduced, and wants Scotland to learn from countries that already host such sites. “We want to understand the environmental impacts of hyperscale data centres,” McMillan said.
The economy, tourism and energy committee, convened by Duncan Massey MSP, will look at jobs and power. Its questions include whether the facilities create long-term employment and whether Scotland’s energy systems can support them. Massey said datacentres had been grabbing the headlines and that it was now time to examine the details.
The inquiry follows a Scottish Government announcement last month that large datacentre planning applications will face new environmental impact assessments, with any facility above 50 MW required to undergo one to strengthen safeguards on energy and water use. Findings from both committees will be shared with Hannah Mary Goodlad MSP, the Minister for Public Finance, who has said guidance on hyperscale datacentres will be published by Christmas. The climate action committee will hold evidence sessions in October and November and will then consider whether to carry out further work on the subject.
