Scotland mandates environmental impact assessments for datacentres over 50MW

The Scottish government will require mandatory environmental impact assessments for new datacentres above 50MW, tightening planning rules ahead of a Holyrood vote on a moratorium. The move stops short of an outright ban but signals growing regulatory pressure on AI infrastructure expansion. This is the first such mandatory assessment regime for datacentres in the UK, reflecting rising public concern over energy and water use.