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Environment & Climate

UK government lacks data on uses of major datacentres, FoI response shows

Environmental groups raise concerns over energy, water, and planning priorities as hundreds of new facilities seek grid connections.

Updated Sep 2, 2026 · 14:20 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • A freedom of information request revealed that the UK government did not hold records on who uses the country's largest datacentres or what operations they run.
  • Environmental campaign groups and opposition figures are demanding tighter rules or a temporary ban on new builds, citing massive energy and water demands.
  • Ministers defend rapid datacentre expansion as vital to protecting domestic employment, investment, and national security data processing.
  • The ongoing debate centres on whether the UK will establish specific environmental safeguards or pause approvals amid grid constraints and regional water stress.

Key facts

  • The former Department for Science, Innovation and Technology responded to a freedom of information request by stating it did not hold records regarding who uses the UK's largest datacentres or their specific purposes.[The Guardian]
  • There are 315 datacentres currently waiting for connections to the National Grid, alongside hundreds seeking local planning permission.[The Guardian]
  • The UK government designated datacentres as critical national infrastructure in 2024 and introduced plans in January allowing qualifying sites to seek government approval via the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project scheme rather than local planning committees.[The Guardian]
  • Trade body Water UK stated in July that the country currently lacks sufficient water capacity to accommodate planned datacentre growth.[The Guardian]
  • A government spokesperson rejected calls for a development pause, arguing it would push investment overseas and make the UK reliant on other nations for sensitive defence and health data processing.[The Guardian]

What remains uncertain

  • It is unclear whether any current UK government department now monitors specific commercial workloads or user bases at major datacentres following the dissolution of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.[The Guardian]
  • The extent to which datacentre resource consumption will impact domestic water supply or legally binding national carbon targets remains unresolved.[The Guardian]

Sources