13th June 2026
Consumer advocate and environmental activist Erin Brockovich joins MS NOW to discuss the rapid growth of AI data centers, concerns over transparency, community impact, water and energy use and why communities are pushing back against projects in their neighborhoods.
Huge projects like this are landing in many parts of the world.
AI needs vast amounts of water and electricity so should the projects be paying the true cost and not be pushing up the price of energy for ordinary citizens.
The profits are huge but so is the cost - who should bear it?
America is at the forefront but other countries like UK are seeing it too.
Scotland
There is a very active pipeline of proposed (and pre-planning) data centre developments across Scotland right now, but they are concentrated in a few key corridors rather than being evenly spread.
Here’s a clear, up-to-date picture of where new data centres are being proposed or actively considered:
1. Fife (major hyperscale cluster emerging)
Fife
This is currently one of the biggest hotspots.
A 600MW hyperscale AI data centre is proposed near Auchtertool (between Kirkcaldy and Burntisland) by ILI Group
Part of a wider planned “Stoics” network (~1.5GW total)
Estimated investment: £5 billion for the first site
One of the most advanced large-scale applications currently in Scotland
This is arguably the single largest confirmed proposal in the country right now.
2. North Lanarkshire / Central Belt (AI “campus” cluster)
North Lanarkshire
Several large AI-focused campuses proposed or in early planning
Includes the ILI Group “Aurelius” campus concept
Close to Glasgow/Edinburgh grid infrastructure and industrial land
One of the densest clusters of overlapping proposals
This area is attractive because:
Strong grid connections
Brownfield industrial land availability
Easier access to substations than rural sites
3. Scottish Borders (new hyperscale proposals)
Scottish Borders
At least one major campus proposal (~225MW scale reported)
Generally positioned as “AI + renewables-linked” developments
Early-stage planning compared with Fife/Central Belt
4. Aberdeenshire / North-east Scotland (emerging AI hub)
Aberdeenshire
A large AI data centre campus proposed near Blackdog (north of Aberdeen)
Backed by energy-linked development plans (including offshore wind)
Early approval signals have been reported locally
Marketed as part of a renewables-powered digital hub strategy
This region is being promoted as:
Close to offshore wind generation
Space for very large campuses
Transition opportunity from oil & gas jobs
5. Edinburgh area (some proposals rejected or revised)
Edinburgh
A major proposal at South Gyle was rejected in early 2026
Concerns included environmental impact and land use
Other smaller-scale proposals have been discussed in the wider Lothians
This area shows:
Strong planning resistance compared with rural/industrial sites
Greater scrutiny of “green data centre” claims
6. East Ayrshire (controversial early-stage plans)
East Ayrshire
Hyperscale proposals linked to ILI Group planning pipeline
Still at consultation / early planning stages
Community opposition has been reported in multiple local discussions
Big picture (what’s really happening)
Across Scotland, there are now roughly:
20+ hyperscale proposals in total pipeline
Concentrated in:
Fife (largest single project scale)
Central Belt (Lanarkshire/Glasgow corridor)
Aberdeenshire (renewables-linked AI hub strategy)
Smaller clusters in Borders and Ayrshire
A key trend is that developers are targeting:
Proximity to high-capacity grid connections
Areas near renewable energy generation (wind, hydro, offshore)
Large available land parcels outside dense urban zones
The underlying issue driving location choices
What determines where these go is not really “IT demand location” but:
available grid capacity (often the limiting factor)
speed of planning approval
access to substations and transmission upgrades
political and community acceptance
That’s why you see a strong bias toward:
central belt + renewable-heavy north-east corridors
Highland
there are now several data centre proposals in the Highlands, but they are much earlier-stage and smaller in number than what you’re seeing in central Scotland (Fife, Lanarkshire, etc.).
Here’s the clearest picture based on current planning and investment activity:
1. Inverness / Inner Moray Firth (main Highland focus)
Inverness / Moray Firth
This is the main area in the Highlands being actively promoted for data centres, though most activity is still “investment-ready” rather than full planning applications.
Highland Council and Invest Highland are actively marketing the region for data centres
Focus is on:
AI and cloud computing facilities
Edge data centres supporting remote infrastructure
Hyperscale interest in principle, not yet confirmed builds
Key selling points:
renewable energy access (wind + hydro)
space for large campuses
cooler climate (reduced cooling costs)
Important nuance:
This is currently more investment promotion and site marketing than confirmed hyperscale planning applications.
2. Wider Highland “energy + digital” opportunity zones
Across the Highlands (general)
Highland Council has identified data centres as part of a wider energy and digital infrastructure strategy, linking them with:
renewable generation (wind, hydro, marine)
grid infrastructure upgrades
subsea fibre routes along the coast
But this is still mostly:
policy support + land promotion
not a large pipeline of submitted hyperscale planning applications yet
3. No confirmed hyperscale planning cluster (yet)
Unlike Scotland’s Central Belt and North East:
There is no equivalent “Fife-scale” hyperscale cluster currently in planning in the Highlands
No confirmed 300MW–600MW type campuses have reached full public planning submission (as of now)
No known approved AI mega-campuses in Highland Council area
4. How the Highlands differs from the rest of Scotland
The Highlands are being positioned differently:
Highlands strategy
“green data hosting region”
smaller distributed facilities + potential future campuses
energy-led development narrative
Central Belt / Fife strategy
large hyperscale AI campuses already in planning (hundreds of MW each)
multi-site “networks” like the Stoics programme
Bottom line
Data centres are being actively promoted in the Highlands
But they are mostly:
early-stage proposals
investment prospectuses
infrastructure strategy sites
No major hyperscale planning applications (like Fife or Lanarkshire) have yet materialised in the Highlands in the same way
England
In England, the data centre pipeline is much larger and more advanced than Scotland’s, and it’s being driven heavily by London’s dominance plus a new wave of “AI growth zones” and hyperscale campuses outside the capital.
Here’s a clear breakdown of the main places where new data centres are being built or proposed in England right now:
1. London & the “Greater London” power belt (largest cluster)
London / Slough / Essex / Hertfordshire / Oxfordshire fringe
This is still the UK’s dominant data centre region (by far).
Key hotspots:
Slough / West London corridor
Already the densest data centre cluster in Europe
Major expansions and redevelopments continue
New large hyperscale approvals are still being pushed through despite planning resistance
Example: recent approvals near Heathrow after council objections were overruled (showing national importance status)
Docklands (East London)
Major AI and cloud infrastructure already established
Ongoing upgrades and GPU-heavy AI expansions
Essex / North London / Hertfordshire / Oxfordshire fringe
Rapid expansion area because London itself is power-constrained
New sites are being pushed outward to access grid capacity
Increasingly used for hyperscale “spillover” projects
This whole region is effectively one continuous “London data centre super-zone”.
2. Buckinghamshire (M25 / Thames Valley edge)
Buckinghamshire / Iver / surrounding Thames Valley
Several hyperscale campuses just outside London
Example: large approved developments in Iver
Some projects include on-site or dedicated power infrastructure due to grid pressure
Strong developer interest because it is still “London-adjacent” but less constrained
3. Northumberland (major AI growth zone)
Cambois / Blyth / North East coast
This is one of the most significant new UK build zones outside London:
A £10bn hyperscale campus at Cambois (near Blyth) led by QTS (Blackstone-backed)
Designed as a multi-building AI-scale campus
Located in a designated AI Growth Zone
Close to former industrial power infrastructure (coal/power station legacy sites)
This is one of the UK’s flagship “post-industrial transformation” data centre sites.
4. North Yorkshire / Leeds / West Yorkshire
Leeds / Skelton Grange and surrounding area
Major approved hyperscale redevelopment of former industrial land
Example: Microsoft-linked £4bn data centre project in Leeds
Built on former power station/industrial sites
Strong regional push for tech + logistics + AI infrastructure
5. North Lincolnshire / Humber region
Elsham / Immingham / Humber industrial corridor
Large proposed AI hyperscale campus (multi-GW scale in pipeline discussions)
Strong link to offshore wind energy and industrial land availability
Positioned as a “green energy + data centre” corridor
This region is increasingly important because:
Large flat land availability
Grid capacity tied to offshore wind
Government interest in dispersing data infrastructure away from London
6. Teesside / North East industrial belt (AI Growth Zone)
Teesside / Stockton / Middlesbrough area
Identified by government as an AI Growth Zone
Focus on repurposing industrial land and energy infrastructure
Still earlier-stage than Northumberland, but actively being marketed for hyperscale AI investment
7. West Midlands (select emerging sites)
Birmingham / Coventry / surrounding industrial zones
Smaller but growing cluster
Focus is on:
industrial brownfield sites
logistics-linked edge computing centres
Not yet a hyperscale leader, but increasing pipeline activity
Big picture: England vs Scotland
England differs from Scotland in one key way:
England
Driven by London overload + spillover expansion
Strong industrial brownfield reuse (power stations, factories)
Large “AI Growth Zones” policy shaping geography
Faster approvals in national-interest cases
Scotland
More focused on renewables-linked new build clusters
Strong narrative around “green data centres”
Fewer but larger headline proposals
England’s new data centres are clustering in three main patterns:
London super-cluster + surrounding counties (dominant)
North East industrial regeneration zones (Cambois, Teesside)
Northern industrial corridors (Leeds, Humber, Lincolnshire)
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLX_w0TtBpY]I Worked At A Google Data Center What I Saw Will Shock You[/url
BBC 11 June 2026
Opposition mounts to monster data centre in Borders hills