Campaign groups Foxglove and Global Action Plan have filed a legal challenge against the UK government’s approval of a new 90-megawatt data center in Buckinghamshire.

Buckinghamshire council had rejected the data center proposal twice, most recently in June 2024, citing concerns about building on protected green belt land.

Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner overruled the local authority and granted planning permission for the project.

The campaigners argue the facility will require large amounts of power and water, raising environmental concerns.

The UK government has emphasized the need for more data centers to support its goal of becoming a global AI hub.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government did not comment on the legal action.

The legal challenge follows recent government efforts to limit repeated legal objections to major infrastructure developments.

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🔗 Source: CNBC

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Data center energy demands create legitimate grid strain concerns for local communities

The 90-megawatt Buckinghamshire facility represents a substantial energy draw that validates local opposition beyond typical NIMBY concerns.

To put this in perspective, data centers in the U.S. currently consume about 17 gigawatts of power, equivalent to a large nuclear power plant’s output, and are projected to reach 130 gigawatts by 2030, representing nearly 12% of total U.S. annual demand 1.

A single data center can consume more power than a medium-sized town, with facilities requiring constant operation at full capacity 2.

This means the Buckinghamshire facility would likely operate at near-maximum power draw 24/7, creating sustained demand equivalent to powering tens of thousands of homes.

The campaigner’s concern about local residents and businesses “competing with a power-guzzling behemoth” reflects real grid capacity limitations, as data centers can strain regional electrical infrastructure and potentially drive up energy costs for surrounding areas.

2️⃣ AI development intensifies the environmental trade-offs governments face with data infrastructure

The UK government’s decision to override local planning reflects a broader global tension between AI competitiveness and environmental commitments.

Data centers currently contribute about 1% of global electricity consumption, but their carbon footprint is significant. U.S. facilities alone emitted 105 million metric tons of CO2 in 2023, up from 31.5 million tons in 2018 1.

Approximately 56% of electricity used by data centers comes from fossil fuels, making facilities like the proposed Buckinghamshire center potential carbon emission sources rather than just energy consumers 1.

The government’s positioning of data centers as essential for AI competitiveness highlights how countries increasingly view computing infrastructure as critical national assets, similar to traditional energy or transportation infrastructure.

This creates a policy dilemma where environmental protection laws, like green belt restrictions, directly conflict with perceived economic and technological competitiveness needs, forcing governments to choose between local environmental concerns and national strategic priorities.

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