Thursday November 5th 2026
Photo: Daniel Hooper-Jones / Office of Laura Moodie
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
South Scotland Green MSP Laura Moodie has demanded answers over proposed data centres in the Scottish Borders after it emerged that the Scottish Government was warned months ago that hyperscale data centres could drive up household energy bills, threaten water supplies and deliver little benefit to local communities.
Documents obtained through Freedom of Information reveal that the Scottish Government’s own Deputy Director for Domestic Climate Change raised serious concerns about the impact of data centres in March this year, as ministers were working to attract billions of pounds of investment into the sector.
In an internal email, the senior official warned of a serious risk to the just transition, particularly given the prevalence of fuel poverty in Scotland, and called for a clear system to protect residents from higher electricity prices and power shortages as part of any agreement to host a data centre.
The warnings emerged from correspondence involving the Scottish Government’s Green Data Centre and AI Growth Zone Crosscutting Working Group, which brings together government departments and public agencies to coordinate Scotland’s approach to data centre investment.
The revelations come amid growing controversy over proposals for hyperscale data centres across Scotland, some of which would consume as much electricity as entire cities.
In the Scottish Borders, hyperscale data centres are proposed near Coldstream and Longformacus, with local campaigners raising concerns about their enormous electricity requirements, environmental impacts and pressure on rural infrastructure. The proposals have prompted growing opposition from residents concerned about the long-term consequences for their communities.
Laura Moodie said: “These are incredibly serious warnings from the Scottish Government’s own climate officials, and they reflect exactly what communities across the South of Scotland have been saying for months.
“Families are already struggling with their energy bills, yet we’re seeing proposals for enormous data centres that could consume vast quantities of electricity. Now we discover that senior officials within the Government have been warning about the potential consequences too.
“The Scottish Government has been rolling out the red carpet for data centre developers while its own senior climate officials have been warning about the risks to ordinary people.
“It’s outrageous that communities are being asked to shoulder the potential costs of these enormous developments while tech giants stand to make billions.
“I’ve demanded answers from the Scottish Government about what ministers knew, what they’ve done with these warnings, and how they intend to protect communities from the consequences of this reckless drive to build hyperscale data centres.
“People in the Scottish Borders should not be expected to gamble their energy bills, environment and livelihoods on the promises of data centre developers.”
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