The UK government has acknowledged it does not have information on what the country’s largest datacentres are being used for, raising concerns amid the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and its environmental impact. A freedom of information request revealed that the now-dissolved Department for Science, Innovation and Technology does not hold data on the operators or specific purposes of major datacentre sites.

This disclosure comes as hundreds of datacentre projects await planning permission, with at least 315 facilities in the queue to connect to the National Grid. The expansion has sparked unease over transparency, environmental justification, and local community opposition.

In January, the government introduced a policy allowing qualifying datacentres to enter the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project scheme, enabling these developments to bypass local planning authorities and receive approval directly from the central government. Critics argue this reduces local oversight. Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party in England and Wales, described the approach as overriding local resistance for the benefit of private companies, while officials remain unable to clarify the benefits or beneficiaries of this growth.

Datacentres consume significant resources, prompting environmental concerns. Recent reports highlighted that two future sites are expected to produce more carbon emissions than ExxonMobil’s UK operations. In 2024, the government designated datacentres as critical national infrastructure. However, campaigners warn this status may prioritize water supply to energy-intensive datacentres during droughts, potentially at the expense of households. Water UK, the representative body for water companies in Britain and Northern Ireland, cautioned in July that current water resources are insufficient to support the planned datacentre expansion.

Polanski questioned whether water access and climate stability should be considered less critical than datacentre operation. Environmental groups emphasize the need to transition toward low-energy, low-pollution solutions amid growing climate challenges.

While there is acknowledgement that datacentres serve essential functions, including national security and health data processing, critics express concern that some developments with considerable environmental footprints may be prioritised despite local objections and unclear use cases. Oliver Hayes from the environmental charity Global Action Plan, which filed the freedom of information request, suggested that some datacentres might be allocated preferential treatment even if powering less consequential applications, such as running chatbots.

Campaigners also raised ethical issues, with Hayes noting the possibility that datacentres could support AI tools involved in harmful activities. Meanwhile, Scotland is reportedly moving toward a moratorium on new datacentre projects, increasing pressure on the UK government to consider similar measures.

Environmental organizations like Friends of the Earth advocate for a freeze on new datacentre construction until robust environmental regulations are implemented. Their demands include mandatory 100% additional renewable energy generation for new sites.

Anisah Khan, campaigns manager at Global Action Plan, highlighted the tension between essential community needs and datacentre demands, pointing to hosepipe bans and delays in housebuilding attributed to datacentres’ consumption of electricity grid capacity.

The government, when asked about the lack of information on datacentre uses, did not directly address the concerns raised. A spokesperson warned that halting new datacentre development could result in the loss of investment and jobs to other countries, while increasing Britain’s dependence on foreign capabilities for processing sensitive health and defence data.