Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of calls for a moratorium on planning approvals for data centres and battery energy storage systems outside designated AI Growth Zones.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Government has no plans to introduce a moratorium on data centres and battery storage systems. Data centres and battery energy storage systems, whether located inside or outside AI Growth Zones, are subject to established planning and regulatory requirements. Decision-makers must consider relevant impacts, including those on the environment, heritage, landscapes, ecology, agricultural land and local communities. Planning applications are generally determined by local planning authorities, while particularly large data infrastructure projects may enter the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime. These arrangements allow proposals to be assessed on their individual merits and development consent to be refused where significant adverse impacts cannot be appropriately managed or mitigated.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to require all data centre operators to report their water use.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
BSIT continues to engage with the sector and other government departments to better understand water use in data centres, supporting the adoption of efficient cooling technologies (closed-loop systems) and alternative sources like rainwater harvesting.
The planning system requires environmental impacts, including water consumption, to be properly assessed and considered before decisions are made. For developments progressing through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime, applicants must assess impacts on water resources as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment and supporting documentation. AI Growth Zone applicants are also required to provide details of their anticipated water requirements and evidence from the relevant water supplier on the availability of supply. The Government keeps planning and environmental requirements under review to ensure data centre growth remains sustainable.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether hyperscale AI data centres, including the proposed data campus near Great Torrington, are required to disclose their projected water consumption for cooling before planning applications are determined; and, if not, what plans they have to introduce such a requirement.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
BSIT continues to engage with the sector and other government departments to better understand water use in data centres, supporting the adoption of efficient cooling technologies (closed-loop systems) and alternative sources like rainwater harvesting.
The planning system requires environmental impacts, including water consumption, to be properly assessed and considered before decisions are made. For developments progressing through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime, applicants must assess impacts on water resources as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment and supporting documentation. AI Growth Zone applicants are also required to provide details of their anticipated water requirements and evidence from the relevant water supplier on the availability of supply. The Government keeps planning and environmental requirements under review to ensure data centre growth remains sustainable.