PLANS for a huge AI data centre on the outskirts of a "tranquil" Scottish village have been opposed by members of the local community.
More than 200 people gathered at a meeting of the Auchtertool Community Council on Wednesday evening to discuss the next steps local residents can take to oppose the development.
Chair of the CIC, Andrea Cail, addressed the turnout, saying it showed there was appetite in the village for a legal challenge against Fife Council's decision to not request an environmental impact assessment (EIA).
She said: "We are now on a sound footing to take this forward.
"This is a big issue, not just for Auchtertool, not just for Fife, not just for Scotland, but for the world.
"We have got to make a stand".
The centre planned for Auchtertool would be larger than the village itself, with some on-site buildings measuring up to 35 metres high and span the length of what the community council has described as around 100 football pitches.
It's expected to consume more than 600MW of energy, something the developers, ILI, have said will improve the efficiency of the electricity grid by reducing curtailment
An ILI spokesperson said: "It may seem counterintuitive, but locating large and stable demand in Scotland will have a net-positive effect by reducing energy wastage and lowering system costs.
"The current situation means we are paying wind farms billions of pounds in curtailment payments to stop generating green electricity."
The company also said that "the height of the buildings has been designed to fluctuate across the site to match the topography of the land and screen the project from the most critical viewpoints."
Speaking to The National, local MSP David Torrance, said he has "real concerns" about the data centre, and was "taken aback" by Fife Council's decision to not demand an EIA.
He said the "strength of feeling" in Auchtertool was shown by the turnout at the meeting, adding that there was a clear sense of concern among the local community.
An ILI spokesperson said that "the absence of a formal EIA does not mean there has been no assessment of the project's environmental impacts.
"There has been a thorough one. Our planning application is detailed in terms of noise impact, air quality, water use, landscape and ecology.
"A project being classified as non-EIA simply means it has not met the threshold for requiring one.
"We believe the local planning authority's assessment is robust. All environmental reports are publicly available on the Fife Council planning portal."
Torrance also commented on the size of the proposed site, saying it would have a serious impact on the currently "tranquil village" in Fife, saying residents had raised concerns about sound and light pollution from the site.
He went on to say that there is a blind spot in Scottish planning regulation, saying the most up-to-date guidance in 'National Planning Framework 4' (NPF4) fails to account for the huge energy and resource demand of AI data centres and a lack of guidance over what defines a "green data centre" could lead to projects that are a net-negative for Scotland's climate ambitions getting approved.
NPF4, described as "hollow" by Torrance, was published in 2022, before AI services like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini were widely used by the public and businesses.
ILI has assured residents that most of the site will not be built on. "The vast majority of the site, including the Auchtertool Linn Wildlife Site, will remain undeveloped and will in fact be enhanced," an ILI spokesperson said.
"We are creating new wetland, woodland and wildflower meadow habitats over most of the site to maximise biodiversity gains, much of which has been included specifically because of direct consultation with the community."
While the wildlife site will be conserved, the proposed data centre would be built over the ruins of the Hallyards/Camilla Castle, which dates back to the 16th century.
The developer noted in its planning application that the site was not protected as a designated/listed site, so it was possible to remove the remains of the ruin.
Greens MSP Mark Ruskell added that the meeting turnout showed the “wide concern” across Fife and the whole of Scotland.
“We need to work together on this. I have already written to Fife Council and have got a question in the Scottish Parliament next week to the planning minister,” he said.
“Where we are now is where we were 15 years ago with fracking. Corporations saw the opportunity to move in and exploit that gap in planning. I think we are in the same position now.
“There is a massive gap in terms of planning and I cannot see how it can get the go ahead right now.”
“The application is extremely vague details about the vast amounts of energy and water that will actually be required, and what level of noise and heat loss to the surroundings there will be.”
Simon Forrest, CEO of renewable firm Nova Innovation lives in the village and told The National that the community is "up for the fight".
He said:" The conclusion from last night's meeting was that this will be long, draining and we need professionals involved, but we are up for the fight."
The developers have previously said that the centre's water use would not impact the local community as it would be using excess supply that was no longer required by the Mossmorran ethylene plant.
A spokesperson said: "The Mossmorran plant was itself a major industrial user of water locally. Its closure means there is now additional headroom beyond what had previously been assessed."
However, Ryan Blackadder of the Fife Greens said local communities do not want to swap one industrial site for another.
He said: "This community has suffered the environmental impact of Mossmorran burning on its doorstep for more than four decades; ExxonMobil has barely closed its doors and is already being replaced by another nature-destroying mega-plant.”
A spokesperson for developers ILI said: "Cato represents a significant opportunity for Fife and for Scotland's digital infrastructure ambitions, bringing substantial investment and high-quality jobs.
"Once operational, the development is expected to support around 540 jobs across Scotland, including 120 permanent on-site roles.
"We understand why a project of this scale generates questions from local residents and we take those concerns seriously. We have been in dialogue with Auchtertool Community Council for over a year and that engagement has directly shaped the proposals.
"ILI Group intends to establish a community benefit fund alongside skills, training and apprenticeship opportunities linked to the project.
"This is a responsibly sited project with the potential to deliver significant long-term benefits locally and nationally. We welcome continued engagement from the community as the planning process progresses."
They added that "our planning application includes detailed noise assessments and we are committed to managing construction responsibly, with open communication with residents throughout," and said the company is "actively exploring opportunities to put surplus heat from the facility to beneficial use for the wider community, including potential connections to local heat networks. An independent study is being undertaken to assess the options and feasibility."
There are currently at least 25 data centre projects planned across Scotland, collectively producing a projected energy demand of more than 6.2GW, although it is unlikely that all projects will be approved or completed.
Scotland’s peak energy demand has been registered as just over 4GW according to the National Energy System Operator (Neso).
While research into the impacts of AI data centres on the environment is still relatively sparse, initial findings have suggested areas close to developments that use fan-cooling methods can face artificial warming, impacting local climates and everyday life.
A new report from the UN also found that if it was to be considered a country, global energy demand from AI data centres would rank in 11th place, higher than Saudi Arabia and just one place behind France. By 2030, data centres could rise to the 6th largest energy consumer in the world.
Commenting on the report, Dr Kat Jones, director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, said it: "Outlines the sheer scale of the problem of hyperscale AI data centres globally, which is now extremely close to home for us in Scotland with proposals popping up all over the central belt.
"Everyone from local authority planners and councillors taking decisions on individual hyperscale data centre planning applications, to government officials, ministers and MSPs making policy should read this UN report.
"It highlights the vast resources consumed by hyperscale data centres including energy, water and land, to service the needs of AI models.
"It is a call for a total rethink on direction for decision makers across the world. Scotland needs to take the lead and put in place a moratorium for hyperscale data centres until a proper study has been done on their impacts on Scotland."
There are also concerns over the carbon emissions from data centres, particularly if they use gas to power 24/7 backup generators, which most sites would require due to fluctuations in renewable supply.
The Auchtertool site is the second in Scotland to have submitted a formal planning application, coming after a site in South Gyle, Edinburgh.
The South Gyle centre had a projected carbon output of more than 200,000 tonnes per year, according to developers Shelborne Drummond, a total equivalent to a second Edinburgh Airport.
It was rejected by councillors after backlash from environmental groups in the city. While the developers are appealing the decision, the council is also considering implementing a data centre moratorium until clearer planning regulations are established.
