Commenting on the new direction from the Scottish Government which requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be submitted during planning for all new data centres with a power capacity exceeding 50 megawatts (MW), Jaap Röell, Managing Director of Sunlaws Development Company said:

“At Southside, we committed to a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) ahead of today’s requirement because we believe communities deserve clear evidence about a development’s potential effects and how they will be addressed. That scrutiny should help shape the project from the outset.”

“It’s right that all data centre proposals are carefully scrutinised, which is why we welcome the Scottish Government’s new requirement for data centres to complete EIAs as part of the planning process.”