More than 100 UK datacentres plan to burn gas to generate electricity

[highplainsdem]

Source: Guardian

More than 100 new datacentres in the UK plan to burn gas to generate electricity, some potentially doing so permanently.

British officials say this is an inevitable consequence of a years-long wait to connect to the National Grid, and raises an “interesting question” about the UK’s climate targets.

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Officials, businesspeople and activists attending the event in Glasgow acknowledged a marked shift over the past year in willingness of UK developers – and authorities – to consider using fossil fuels to power the UK’s AI ambitions.

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Kat Jones, the director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, an Edinburgh-based charity, said: “Those promoting the rush for hyperscale AI datacentres seem to be living in a parallel reality where the last 50 years of climate science hasn’t happened, and where we aren’t already experiencing the signs of climate breakdown.”

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/18/uk-datacentres-plan-to-burn-gas-to-generate-electricity

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And if AI companies can just get people to amuse themselves enough with AI slop, they might not notice the climate breaking down, at least until it affects them directly. Or might not care if they think AI is still worth it.

The AI bros have in the past often promised that AI will solve our climate crisis. Don't hear them say that quite as often any more.