Two Planned UK Datacentres to Emit 4.6 Million Tonnes, Exceeding ExxonMobil's 3.9 Million
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 25
Two Planned UK Datacentres to Emit 4.6 Million Tonnes, Exceeding ExxonMobil's 3.9 Million
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 25
Summary
Foxglove said the planned Wapseys Wood and Quest Park sites would emit 4.577 million tonnes of carbon a year when fully operational—more than ExxonMobil’s 3.9 million tonnes in the UK in 2023.
The two projects would draw 1.3GW of power, and long grid-connection delays are pushing them to seek on-site gas-fired power stations to run AI servers, cooling and facility systems.
The government called the analysis misleading, saying it wrongly assumes both datacentres will operate at 100% utilisation from day one; Foxglove said that matches standard industry practice.
The warning points to a wider pipeline of 315 datacentres awaiting grid connections with 73GW of demand—almost double the UK’s peak winter electricity demand—raising pressure on legally binding climate targets.