Scotland’s parliament has approved a de facto temporary moratorium on approving new hyperscale data center projects until updated planning guidance is published.

Ministers in Scotland have backed a de facto, temporary moratorium on hyperscale data centers, committing not to approve any new schemes until updated planning guidelines are finalized. The Scottish Green Party introduced the motion during an opposition debate in the Scottish Parliament today, calling for a pause on data centers exceeding 50MW amid what it described as a “huge wave of speculative proposals across Scotland.” Like many nations, Scotland has seen a surge in proposed facilities to meet anticipated AI demand, prompting communities to raise concerns over power and water consumption, alongside other environmental risks.

While Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) from the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP), Scottish Labour, and the Scottish Conservatives declined to support the Green Party’s moratorium motion, two amendments proposed by the SNP and Labour were passed. The approved text stipulates that planning decisions on new data centers over 50MW will be withheld until planning rules are updated to clarify approval criteria and project requirements.

SNP minister Hannah Mary Goodlad stated that full guidance would be published by the end of the year. “We do not agree that there should be a moratorium,” she said. “That is not necessary, it's not appropriate, and it would send the wrong message to anyone looking to invest in Scotland.

“We cannot prevent planning applications from being lodged, nor should we. And applications have a right to receive a timely decision."

She added: "Rigorous scrutiny of a proposed development by capable planning professionals, backed up by environmental assessment, is more appropriate than a blanket suspension of all developments, regardless of their needs."

The approved Labour motion calls on the Scottish government to report back to parliament on the development of national planning guidance by the end of the current calendar year and to publish this guidance in full within 12 months. It further states that no decisions on planning or consenting related to such applications should be made until this process is complete. Earlier in the day, the government announced legislation requiring any developer wishing to build a hyperscale data center in Scotland to conduct a full environmental impact assessment.

Dr. Kat Jones, director of campaign group Action to Protect Rural Scotland (APRS), described the vote as "a landmark day for all those communities across Scotland who have been extremely concerned about projects coming forward in their areas."

She said: "There's much still to be done but this is a huge step forward and we can all at least take a breath now.

"The Scottish Greens have been working tirelessly to see a pause in planning decisions until there is a proper national strategy in place, and Scottish Labour have played a huge role today in getting this over the line.”

Dr. Jones added: "It's great that Scottish ministers and the parliament as a whole have now endorsed text that says no decisions on planning or consenting should be made until that guidance and strategy is complete. That means Scottish government must now urgently call in those applications which are approaching a decision date. The communities will expect nothing less.

"We will keep working with the communities, and with MSPs across the parties, to make sure ministers do the best possible job and remove this terrible cloud of uncertainty that has been hanging over dozens of communities across Scotland."

Conversely, Kim Pratt, senior circular economy campaigner with Friends of the Earth Scotland, told The National : “Politicians have chosen to support data centre plans, fuelled by the greed of big tech, rather than to protect the people of Scotland. Thousands of people across Scotland have spoken out against the rapid rise of data centres which pollute communities, add to climate breakdown and use up resources needed for the energy transition.

Pratt noted that: "In today’s debate, the planning minister suggested that no data centres will be approved before Christmas. However, decisions in Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, Inverclyde and Fife, where decisions are expected in a matter of weeks, desperately need clarity on that now. Only a moratorium on all hyperscale data centres until proper social and environmental safeguards are in place can protect people and nature from their impacts."

Prior to the vote, Scottish data center operator DataVita, which is developing an AI campus in the North Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone, had published an open letter to opponents, inviting them to engage in talks about Scotland’s digital infrastructure build-out.

The company extended an invitation to Ross Greer MSP, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, and APRS’s Dr Jones, to visit its campus at Chapelhall, North Lanarkshire.

Danny Quinn, managing director of DataVita, said: “DataVita fully supports an open public debate about the right kind of controls to have in place for AI and, where necessary, government action to protect our economy, society and environment. But the importance of the decisions we make about AI for Scotland's future economy cannot be overstated. We need to move beyond a debate in which one side has to be entirely right and the other entirely wrong.

“Where opinions differ, open and honest dialogue is the best way forward. A visit gives us the opportunity to show how our facilities operate and have a detailed conversation about our plans. We can explain the choices behind their design, hear the questions people have and discuss them directly.

“Data centers differ in what they do and how they are designed and operated. We would welcome the chance to explain how those differences apply to our facilities and proposals and we are making these invitations public because the developments are of public interest.”