Data Centre Watch Updated 23 October 2026, 17:16 UTC
Data Centre Watch
The local fight over one field is one row in a national rush. This is a rolling, fully sourced record of what changed — the schemes, the planning decisions, the power and water, and the wider world picture.
days under a hosepipe ban
Under a hosepipe ban for 106 days — since 10 July 2026 (as of 23 October 2026).
Affinity Water — Central region (incl. WD5), extended to the East region
11 areas in drought, parts of 4 in severe · reservoirs 54% · the water picture →
Latest
6 entries matching · showing 1–6
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Canterbury approves a landfill-gas data centre
Canterbury City Council has approved Era4's data centre at the Shelford landfill site, powered by a private-wire connection to the neighbouring Valencia Energy Centre, which burns methane captured from the landfill. It draws around 140MWh a day at full use (~5.8MW continuous) — within the energy centre's average daily output — with South East Water capping water use at 20 cubic metres a day. It is part of an Era4/Valencia plan for eight landfill-gas data centres.
Why it matters: The power source is the waste next door — a rare scheme whose energy is already on site.
Source: Data Centre Review [C]
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Batam residents blockade a data centre over dried-up water
Around 300 residents of the Sambau district blockaded Nongsa Digital Park on 5 Oct, saying their piped water had been cut for up to six months while the data centres next door kept running; tankers restored supply to only ~53% of households. Nine planned centres there would need ~285MW and ~29 million litres of water a day — about 8.4% of Batam's entire supply.
Why it matters: The data-centre water fight made physical: two pipelines, two outcomes, same drought.
Source: Startup Fortune / Jakarta Post [C]
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China switches on a wind-powered underwater data centre
The Shanghai Lingang Underwater Data Center — 24MW, ~10km offshore and ~10m beneath the sea — runs on a nearby offshore wind farm and uses seawater for cooling; officials say it uses 20%+ less energy than comparable land-based facilities. It entered service in May.
Why it matters: A different answer to the same problem — cooling and power — that the UK is still arguing about on land.
Source: Ilke News Agency [C]
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Google's $15bn India campus faces local resistance
Google's gigawatt-scale AI hub in Visakhapatnam — its biggest outside the US, part of a $15bn investment — is meeting protests; Google says it will use air cooling rather than the area's scarce water, but activists want a state-wide moratorium until the impacts are known.
Why it matters: Air-versus-water cooling and the 'assess it first' demand — the campaign's exact questions, exported.
Source: Gulf News / AFP [C]
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Campaigners urge binding resource limits for Scotland's data centres
The Foundation for Gaia wrote to the Scottish Government arguing individual decisions cannot address cumulative impacts — it counts 24 major proposals (~6GW) in or near the planning system — and calling for binding limits, mandatory audited water/power/emissions reporting, no drinking water for cooling, and collective assessment by grid connection, catchment and council area.
Why it matters: The 'assess the whole, not the parts' argument — the same gap we push on water, put to a national government.
Source: Envirotec / Foundation for Gaia [C]
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National petition to 'ban harmful data centres' tops 24,000 in 48 hours
Foxglove and 38 Degrees launched a petition asking the PM to ban harmful data centres and set basic rules — no fossil-gas power, developers paying full grid costs, and no draining local water. It passed 24,000 signatures in 48 hours (alongside a separate 9,000-signature gas-power petition), citing ~315 projects and ~73GW in the UK connection queue.
Why it matters: The campaign case is going national — and it is written as rules, not just 'no'.
Source: Foxglove [C]
Watchlist — what lands next
| What | State | When |
|---|---|---|
| Data-centre National Policy Statement (NPS) | Still unpublished; projects already being directed into the NSIP regime without it. | Expected 'shortly after' the Jan 2026 regulations |
| Ofgem 'Curate' data-centre connection reform | Consultation closed 17 Sep 2026; decision pending — commitment fee £237,500–£712,500/MW. | Decision later in 2026 |
| Scotland — hyperscale planning guidance | Parliament agreed no decisions on hyperscale applications until guidance is published. | Guidance expected by December 2026 |
| Draft London Plan — data-centre policy GLE3 | Consultation closed 15 October 2026; responses under consideration. | Next draft / adoption pending |
| National Scheme of Delegation for planning functions (SI 2026/854) | Standardises which applications go to officers vs committee; non-compliant committee decisions open to judicial review. | In force 31 October 2026 |
| EU data-centre standards and rating scheme | Commission has adopted a data-centre sustainability rating scheme; consultation on minimum performance standards remains open. | Consultation closes 14 December 2026 |
| Environmental Audit Committee report (HC 22) | Inquiry 'Risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK'; report + government response due. | Awaiting publication |
| Three Rivers Local Plan examination | Plan submitted; examination in H1 2027, adoption targeted Sep 2027. | Submission 30 November 2026 |
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Fully sourced, no invented numbers
Every entry names its source and how it is known — verified, a designated claim, our calculation, or a gap. Where a claim is contested, we say so. See all reports & explainers →