tech
Google developers significantly misstate carbon emissions of proposed UK datacentres
Emissions understated by factor of five in Essex plans for tech giant, while Greystoke’s Lincolnshire plans show similar error
TL;DR
- Google's developers have misstated the carbon emissions of two proposed AI datacentres in Essex in planning documents.
- The error involves comparing one year of the datacentre's emissions with the UK's entire five-year carbon budget, understating the impact fivefold.
- Greystoke, developing a datacentre in north Lincolnshire, appears to have made a similar misstatement.
- Together, these three developments could account for over 1% of the UK's carbon budget by 2033.
- Experts from Foxglove highlight these apparent misstatements as concerning for transparency in AI development's environmental footprint.
- The Thurrock datacentre's emissions are estimated to be 0.165% of the UK's budgeted carbon footprint (2028-2032), not the stated 0.033%.
- The North Weald datacentre's emissions are estimated to be 0.215% (2033-2037), not the stated 0.043%.
- Greystoke's Elsham Tech Park emissions are estimated to be 0.5215% of the UK's carbon budget in 2033, not the stated 0.1043%.
- Despite these figures, all three developments are classified as having a 'minor adverse' impact on UK climate goals.
- Greystoke acknowledged the discrepancy and expects to submit revised figures; Google did not respond to a request for comment.