> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theferret.scot/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What makes a data centre 'green'? One major developer has lobbied for its own definition - URL: https://www.theferret.scot/what-makes-a-data-centre-green-one-major-developer-has-lobbied-for-its-own-definition/ - Published: 2026-08-23T06:00:13.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-23T06:00:12.000Z - Description: The Scottish Government has been supportive of controversial green data centres and is liaising with the industry. But critics argue there are environmental considerations and companies must not be allowed to “write the rules”. - Author: Paul Dobson - Tags: Investigations **A developer has been lobbying the Scottish Government to publicly endorse its definition of a ‘green’ data centre, according to documents obtained by The Ferret.** The Scottish Government has backed the development of so-called ‘green’ data centres since 2021 and in 2023 gave them special, [streamlined](https://www.harpermacleod.co.uk/insights/data-centres-in-scotland-powering-a-sustainable-digital-future/?ref=theferret.scot) status under planning policy. But ministers have never clearly defined what a ‘green’ data centre is, despite [growing concern](https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,scotland-could-block-hyperscale-data-centres?ref=theferret.scot) about the environmental impact of new ‘hyperscale’ facilities needed to support artificial intelligence (AI). Alongside concerns about water use, noise and air pollution, critics say these require huge amounts of energy, which could [increase reliance on fossil fuels](https://aprs.scot/resources/all-about-hyperscale-data-centres/?ref=theferret.scot) and [jeopardise climate targets](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/18/uk-datacentres-plan-to-burn-gas-to-generate-electricity?ref=theferret.scot). Councils are currently [left to decide](https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/documents/s100107/7.1%20-%20Data%20Centres%20Moratorium.pdf?ref=theferret.scot) whether projects in their area – many of which are marketed as ‘green’ – meet the description, often amid vocal opposition from grassroots campaigns. Any national definition could affect which data centre plans go ahead and the Scottish Government [said](https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/recent-publication?meeting=20188&iob=224094&ref=theferret.scot) in June it is considering issuing planning guidance on the facilities. ****Fund journalism that serves the public.** The Ferret investigates what’s going on in Scotland, and who benefits. Reader support keeps our journalism independent. [Support our reporting ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/) The Ferret has found that in the months leading up to that announcement officials had discussed the definition with Apatura, which is behind [more Scottish data centre proposals than any other firm](https://aprs.scot/data-centre-map/?ref=theferret.scot). Correspondence between the company and officials on the issue appears to have started at a networking drinks event at Glasgow’s plush Corinthian Club in April. In follow-up emails, the firm repeatedly asked the Scottish Government to publicly support a [‘green data centre charter](https://consult.apatura.energy/industry-charter?ref=theferret.scot)’ it had drawn up with other industry groups. Apatura said the document could help with policy and planning decisions on data centre projects. The Scottish Government ultimately decided not to endorse the charter, Apatura told The Ferret. But emails and meeting minutes released under freedom of information (FoI) law show it was circulated across government and considered in detail. One working group on AI discussed the “suitability” of backing it, with an official saying it appeared “broadly consistent” with the Scottish Government’s approach. [AI flooded the Scottish Government with wind farm objections. So they stopped accepting emailsThe Scottish Government says the move was needed to tackle the “burden” caused by the growth in AI-assisted objections to energy projects. Critics say it is a way to mute public opposition.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-093133a7-122f-42d1-9be1-bc63b955b0e2.png)The FerretPaul Dobson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/Website-images--5--f120f75e-234f-4e42-b781-f6998ca302c6.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/ai-ban-emailed-objections-energy-projects/) Meanwhile, while one part of the Scottish Government was considering supporting the document, another was asking Apatura to appear on a panel event it was organising at a London investment summit to help “showcase Scotland as a leading investment opportunity for data centres”. Campaigners said this was evidence of the government “cosying up” to Apatura and giving it a “preferential hearing” on the definition of a ‘green’ data centre despite what they described as the developer’s “huge conflict of interests” on the issue. They warned that companies must not be allowed to “write the rules” used to judge their own planning applications and claimed the charter shared by Apatura was “vague” and “riddled with loopholes”. Apatura argued its relationship with the Scottish Government was “entirely professional” and the correspondence “was a normal and important part of developing informed policy, particularly in an emerging sector”. The firm claimed its charter contained “practical and measurable principles” and was developed to “address the gap” caused by the lack of a clear definition of ‘green’ data centres. It rejected any claims it asked the government to adopt it as policy or “sought preferential treatment for our projects”. Data centres house the physical infrastructure needed to power the internet. They are not new, but the ‘hyperscale’ facilities proposed to support growing demand for AI are far bigger than most existing sites and require a huge amount of power. It has been [estimated](https://www.ercs.scot/news/data-centres-in-the-scottish-planning-system-would-double-scotlands-energy-demands-press-release/?ref=theferret.scot) that if all the data centres proposed across Scotland went ahead, they would more than double the country’s demand for electricity. The industry argues they can be powered by Scotland’s growing renewable energy sector, but opponents point out they will need constant power, including when the weather means wind and solar farms are producing less, potentially increasing reliance on fossil fuels. Critics have also raised concerns about the diesel backup generators they have on site and their water requirements for cooling. As a result of these issues any description of data centres as ‘green’ is highly controversial. NPF4 – Scotland’s national strategy on planning – designated ‘green’ data centres as ‘national developments’. They still require planning permission, but the fundamental need for them has already been [established](https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotland-2045-fourth-national-planning-framework-draft-national-developments-report-assessment/pages/2/?ref=theferret.scot) and does not need to be considered. NPF4 was published in 2023, but much of the work done on it was [reportedly](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/may/25/scotland-policy-green-datacentres-emissions-impact-ai-analysis?ref=theferret.scot) carried out in 2022, before the launch of technologies such as ChatGPT and the global rush to build much bigger data centres for AI. Holyrood researchers [say](https://spice-spotlight.scot/2026/06/26/data-centres/?ref=theferret.scot) the rapid growth of data centre applications in Scotland has outpaced planning policy, and there have been [growing calls](https://www.pegasusgroup.co.uk/scotland-urgently-needs-clear-guidance-on-green-data-centres/?ref=theferret.scot) for the Scottish Government to clarify what the ‘green’ data centre designation means. Pressed on the issue at first minister’s questions on 25 June, John Swinney said his government was giving “active consideration” to providing planning guidance to balance the “rapid” expansion of hyperscale data centres with climate and energy targets. [FFS explains: AI and healthcareArtificial intelligence (AI) is a term that has catapulted into the public’s consciousness in recent years, as the technology has become easily accessible for the first time. Media coverage has focused on negative impacts AI can have on political discourse, but it is already being used in Scotland’s![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/icon/TheFerret_Favicon_White-1-73035508-b487-430c-9d27-0cbc8603325d.png)The FerretFerret Journalists![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2d/e2/2de2844d-80a7-4c7b-8025-6f1f39724aa6/content/images/thumbnail/istock-1998436026-5aa9c939-8f48-406c-a576-84bb35a444e1.jpg)](https://www.theferret.scot/ffs-explains-ai-and-healthcare/) FoI responses to The Ferret and the office of the Green MSP Mark Ruskell, shared with us, show that weeks before that on 5 May, a Scottish Government official wrote to a representative of the company noting that they had discussed work Apatura was doing “around \[the\] definition of green data centres” at its [Data Centre Club](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scotlands-data-centre-club-tickets-1985436707639?ref=theferret.scot) networking event at the Corinthian on 30 April. The official asked Apatura to share what it had “developed to date” and said it would be “very useful” to see the company’s position. Apatura responded on 6 May sharing its charter and saying it would “very much welcome Scottish Government involvement with a short supportive quote”. The [charter](https://consult.apatura.energy/hubfs/Sustainable%5FData%5FCentre%5FCharter/Sustainable%5FData%5FCentre%5FCharter.pdf?hsLang=en&ref=theferret.scot) itself calls for data centres to maximise the use of green energy, be built to high energy-efficiency standards, minimise water use, use excess heat in district heating schemes, and work with local communities to ensure their benefits are “maximised locally”. The firm chased the Scottish Government later in May about the endorsement, with officials responding they were unable to comment ”at this point” because ministers had not been allocated after Holyrood elections and the definition was an “extremely live point of policy discussion”. But in the weeks that followed the document seems to have been sent across departments. The FoI responses show one cross-government working group on green data centres and AI had set up a shared online document to gather feedback. A meeting of the group on 17 June discussed the “suitability” of endorsing the charter with one individual noting it was "broadly consistent with our approach to developing” green data centres. Others commented that it lacked “quantified standards” and that they would prefer to endorse a document from a wider trade body, rather than just one firm. As the document was being considered, another part of the Scottish Government was asking Apatura to help it promote the country as a “leading investment destination for data centres and renewables”. On 8 May – two days after the company requested an endorsement for its charter – a government official invited it to take part in an investment summit in London, which would highlight “Scotland’s strengths in relation to data centres and renewable energy” to the city’s “investor community”. The event – held at the Royal Society – appears to have gone [ahead on 8 June](https://invest-uk-science.com/programme/?ref=theferret.scot) and included Apatura’s chief strategy officer David Wildash and Richard Woodfield of fellow Scottish data centre developer, Data Vita. Dr Kat Jones, the director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, said this was evidence that Apatura had “the ear of government” on data centres. Jones said: “The Scottish Government haven’t invited any environmental charities to give their opinions on what a ‘green’ data centre is, despite the expertise they have in environment, climate, biodiversity and planning so why should a data centre developer get a preferential hearing? “There is obviously a huge conflict of interests when a developer, which has proposed nearly half the hyperscale data centres in the planning system, is also writing their own set of rules, and trying to get the government to agree to them.” Scottish Greens MSP Patrick Harvie said: “This kind of cosy relationship with big tech companies is particularly concerning when it comes at the same time as the government claims to be writing guidelines on planning rules which could determine the long-term success of these very businesses. “We can’t allow these companies to write the rules by which their planning applications will be judged. We all know that profit-hungry developers will put their shareholders' pockets before the needs of local communities and nature.” Ben Christman, the principal solicitor and legal director at the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, said the correspondence we obtained was “very concerning” because it indicated that civil servants were “cosying up to the data centre industry”. Christman added: “If the Scottish Government’s definition of ‘green data centre’ bears any resemblance to Apatura’s charter, then it will be vague, riddled with loopholes and will likely result in proposals for data centres being granted planning permission, which are about as sustainable as the diesel generators that are a prominent feature of Apatura’s data centre plans.” An Apatura spokesperson said its charter was “developed to help support the responsible growth of data centres in Scotland, with clear principles around renewable energy, energy efficiency, responsible water use, heat recovery and meaningful community benefit.” They added: “With no agreed definition of a ‘green data centre’, we worked with organisations across Scotland to set out what good development could look like in practice, and to contribute constructively to the wider discussion around future national guidance. “We believe that is a positive thing for Scotland. Clear and consistent standards can help protect the environment, deliver benefits for communities and give responsible developers greater certainty about what is expected of them.” The Scottish Government’s public finance minister, Hannah Mary Goodlad, said: “It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on any specific development proposals in the planning system, however we have been clear that the voices of communities that will be affected by these kinds of development must be central to any considerations. “Ministers are giving active consideration as to whether the Scottish Government should provide planning guidance to balance the interest in developing hyperscale data centres with national energy and climate goals, which are vital to our future prosperity.” Last week Goodlad released a planning direction to [tighten](https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26470173.scottish-ministers-tighten-oversight-major-data-centres/?ref=theferret.scot) ministerial oversight of data centre proposals. Councils must now notify the Scottish Government within seven days of validating a data centre application of more than 50MW. The [intervention](https://www.gov.scot/news/data-centre-planning-direction/?ref=theferret.scot) also said environmental impact assessments were required for two proposed data centres, including Apatura’s development at Wester Hermiston near Edinburgh. Ministers will also take over the final decision on a separate data centre in the capital, near the Gyle shopping centre. ****Our reporting makes a difference** Good journalism should reveal something new, stand up to scrutiny, and leave the public better informed. That takes time – and your support. [Become a member ](https://www.theferret.scot/signup/)