The number of data centres in London could soon double if current plans come to fruition, reports Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter

Data centre (credit Ismail Enes Ayhan via Unsplash) — Data centres help supply the computing power needed by IT systems such as artificial intelligence (credit Ismail Enes Ayhan via Unsplash)

A planned proliferation of data centres in London could “undermine” the capital’s decarbonisation goals, the London Assembly has been told.

Between 50 and 60 of around 100 planned UK data centres – which house IT infrastructure such as servers – are scheduled to be built in London.

However, it is estimated that every ten new data centres will create 2.7million tonnes of carbon emissions, prompting concerns that their construction could subvert Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan’s climate goals.

“This is definitely undermining the process we’ve been making,” Oliver Hayes, head of policy and campaigns at Global Action Plan, told the London Assembly’s environment committee on Tuesday (3rd).

He estimated that in 2050, data centres alone would use a quarter of the UK’s entire electricity consumption as of last year, and that just ten of the proposed data centres would generate carbon emissions equivalent to the amount saved from a complete switch to electric vehicles.

Hayes warned that tech firms are also hoping for data centres to be powered by onsite gas to enable to them build them quicker. He added: “This will have devastating consequences for the climate.

“Data centres also need to be confident they can run the entire time, so they all have backup generators on site – usually in the form of diesel generators. This again has additional impacts for climate, but clearly, particularly in a London context, risks undermining the progress that we’ve heard about on air quality.”

According to data broker Colo-X, there are currently 45 data centres operational in London, with most being in central London, West London, or in the area around the Isle of Dogs. Beyond these areas there is a data centre in Southbury, Enfield, operated by Virtus Data Centres, and another in Cockfosters on the Enfield/Barnet borough border, called Sovereign Data Connect.

Global Action Plan estimates that the boroughs of Havering, Tower Hamlets, Newham and Brent are going to be put under the most “pressure” from new data centres. While the current spread around the capital is “fairly diverse”, existing data centres are “much, much smaller” than the planned new ones, Hayes said.

This could lead to issues with water, he added, noting that water stress – when demand for water exceeds the available supply – is most acute in London and the south-East, where the majority of new data centres are being planned.

There were also warnings sounded about London’s housing supply crisis following a report from the London Assembly’s planning and regeneration committee that some new housing developments in West London were temporarily delayed after the electricity grid reached full capacity.

Calling for the new London Plan – set to be released next year – to have a “dedicated data centre policy”, Hayes said: ”People can’t move into homes because there is no grid.

“We are also very worried also about the potential impacts down the line for bills. Every additional demand such as that coming from data centres requires additional infrastructure, grid upgrades, more renewables than would otherwise be needed. Those costs will inevitably filter down to bill payers.

“We are at a bit of a fork in the road where a lot of this stuff, if it’s built now, will be around for a long time. So that’s why the interventions are so critical now. Transparency is very important.”

A spokesperson for the mayor has previously said they are working to include “how to best address the need for data centres in London”. The committee session came after a roundtable session with policy experts and frontline environmental practitioners which took place in City Hall.

Leonie Cooper, chair of the London Assembly’s environment committee, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “This is an important moment to review London’s progress on environmental priorities. The mayor has set ambitious goals – from cleaning London’s air and cutting harmful climate emissions, to warmer homes, swimmable rivers and increasing access to nature.

“Bringing together such a wide range of stakeholders across the environmental sector led to a rich and diverse discussion around London’s environmental priorities. The findings from the discussions will help shape our scrutiny going forward, as we investigate the issues that matter most to Londoners.”

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