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Two planned datacentres will have higher UK carbon emissions than ExxonMobil, analysis finds

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Two planned datacentres will have higher UK carbon emissions than ExxonMobil, analysis finds

Exclusive: Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire sites predicted to emit 4.5m tonnes a year when fully running

The carbon emissions from just two planned datacentres in England will exceed all of the fossil fuel company ExxonMobil’s UK emissions, analysis has revealed.

Experts have said this demonstrates the “serious threat” datacentres pose to the UK’s legally binding climate goals.

Analysis by the non-profit group Foxglove reveals that when fully operational, the Wapseys Wood datacentre in Buckinghamshire and the Quest Park datacentre in Bedfordshire will use 1.3GW of power and will produce more than 4.5m tonnes of carbon emissions.

ExxonMobil emitted 3.9m tonnes in 2023, according to the global energy thinktank Ember.

AI datacentres use a massive amount of electricity to power servers and cooling equipment, and to run facility systems. There are currently 315 datacentres in the queue to connect to the UK’s electricity grid, representing 73GW of demand. This is almost double the peak winter energy demand for the entire UK.

Because of the long wait to connect to the grid, the Wapseys Wood and Quest Park datacentres are seeking to build their own on-site gas-fired power stations.

Based on government figures on the carbon intensity of electricity generation, Foxglove has calculated these projects will produce 4.577m tonnes of carbon emissions per year.

A government spokesperson said these figures were “misleading” because of the assumption that both projects will run at 100% utilisation from day one, which they said was “not accurate”.

Tom Hegarty, head of communications at Foxglove, said assuming a 100% utilisation rate followed standard industry practice.


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