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Holyrood opens inquiry into hyperscale data centres; minister confirms planning guidance before Christmas
The Scottish Parliament's Climate Action Committee has opened an inquiry into the environmental impacts of hyperscale data centres, with the Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee; the call for views closes 15 Nov 2026. The committee notes there are no hyperscale data centres in Scotland at the outset. In an 8 Oct letter, Hannah Mary Goodlad, Minister for Public Finance, replying as the minister responsible for planning, confirmed national planning guidance on data centres will be published before Christmas 2026, with a wider strategic approach in 2026-27. Data Centre Review, citing NESO, says close to 30 projects seek about 9.7 GW of grid connections in Scotland.
Why it matters. Scotland has an effective pause: the First Minister said no applications are expected to be determined before the guidance. The guidance date now sets when Scotland's queue of about 9.7 GW starts to move or stall.
Our data addsOur GB row counts about 73 GW of data-centre demand in contracted connection offers (June 2025); Scotland is not split out. /europe/data-centre-grid-queues →
“As of the outset of this inquiry, there are no hyperscale data centres in Scotland.”
Sources: Scottish Parliament, Climate Action Committee inquiry page, 12 October 2026 · Hannah Mary Goodlad MSP, Minister for Public Finance, to the committee convener, 8 October 2026 · Data Centre Review, 8 October 2026
Next, 15 November 2026: Call for views closes; planning guidance due before Christmas