Industry groups in Scotland have launched a charter for new data centres, setting out five principles for design and development.
The charter is backed by Prosper, the Renewable Energy Association, Ravenscraig, Heat Network Scotland and Apatura Energy. It focuses on renewable energy, energy efficiency, water consumption, district heat networks and community benefits.
The move comes as data centres attract growing attention from policymakers and developers in Scotland. Supporters argue the country is well placed for new projects because of its climate, access to renewable electricity and land availability.
They also say new sites should be built to standards designed to limit pressure on the electricity system and reduce environmental impact. The charter calls for direct links to renewable generation where feasible and says all facilities should meet high energy-efficiency standards under Scottish building rules.
Policy focus
Data centres have already been identified by the Scottish Government as a target industry for investment in its Green Industrial Strategy. They are also listed in Scotland's Fourth National Planning Framework as a national development and as a utility considered important to the country's economic and social needs.
Against that policy backdrop, scrutiny of how such projects are designed has increased. The new charter aims to shape that debate by setting expectations for future developments rather than leaving the issue to individual planning applications alone.
One of the main issues it addresses is water use, which has become contentious in several markets outside the UK. Supporters say public understanding is often shaped by older US examples that relied on evaporative cooling in some locations.
According to the charter's backers, a modern green data centre in Scotland using a closed-loop cooling system would need an initial fill equivalent to the annual water use of 44 homes, with lower ongoing consumption after that. The document says facilities should be located in water-abundant areas and use closed-loop systems where possible.
Heat networks
The charter also says every new data centre should be district heat-ready. In practice, that means sites should be built with the offtake technology needed to allow nearby businesses, communities and land users to connect to heat network infrastructure.
This reflects a wider effort in Scotland to make greater use of waste heat from industrial and commercial sites. For data centre developers, it adds another test in project design as authorities and local communities weigh the benefits of large electricity users.
Community benefit forms the fifth principle. The charter says data centre development should maximise net economic benefit, including local employment and supply chain opportunities.
Speaking on behalf of the charter's supporters, Giles Hanglin, Chief Executive Officer of Apatura Energy, said: "Data centres are an established and essential feature of daily life, underpinning the way we shop, communicate and learn, as well as lifesaving medical research, climate modelling, and the systems that support banking, transport, and telecommunications.
"The UK Government recognises data centres as 'Critical National Infrastructure', putting them on a par with energy, water, and emergency services, while the Scottish Government views green data centres as 'essential infrastructure' which, if designed sustainably, can deliver secure, low-carbon operations, support local communities, boost employment, and drive economic growth.
"However, at present, we rely heavily on data centres in locations outside Scotland, from the USA and Norway to England, Dublin and Dubai.
"In the last year there has been a significant increase in proposals to develop data centres in Scotland, driven by global demand and the country's natural advantages, including a cool climate, abundant renewable energy and availability of land.
"Fortunately, Scotland has some of the most rigorous planning and environmental regulations in the world, meaning data centres developed here will have a lower impact than those built elsewhere. Plus, they can bring significant inward investment, jobs and community benefit.
"This charter sets out five core principles which we believe should underpin the development of all data centres in Scotland, ensuring they are built to the very highest sustainability standards.
"A lot of the information on water use is based on historical US data where evaporative cooling has been used in some locations. However, a modern green data centre in Scotland, using a closed-loop cooling system, would have a 'first fill' equivalent to the annual water use of 44 homes, with less ongoing water use thereafter."