The UK government has been investing heavily in renewable energy in its bid to meet 95% of electricity demand with clean power by 2030.
But the rapid rise in electricity demand could make it more difficult to meet the target.
This month Ofgem, the UK’s energy market regulator, said a surge in demand for grid connections last year had been “driven by the rapid growth” of data centres.
In a report, external, Ofgem said it was aware of 140 proposed data centres, which would require about 50 gigawatts (GW) of electricity – 5GW more than the country’s current peak demand.
Friends of the Earth, a campaign group, said if all of those data centres came online, “they could consume more electricity each day than the entire country does now”.
“It’s no wonder the government views the future usage of data centres as ‘inherently uncertain’,” said Mary Stevens, a spokesperson for the group.
“What isn’t uncertain is this government’s growth-at-all-costs agenda.”
“Having greenlit rampant airport expansion, and now potentially a raft of data centres, it’s unclear how ministers will ensure the UK sticks to its legally binding climate targets and prevents rocketing emissions and water usage,” the Friends of the Earth spokesperson added.