Key facts
- The East Havering Data Centre Campus (EHDCC) in outer London is proposed to generate over 1 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually.
- This annual emission is equivalent to 27,000 flights from London to New York.
- The project's developer, Digital Reef, acknowledges the scheme does not align with net-zero targets.
- The datacentre's projected electricity consumption is equivalent to that of over 1 million UK households.
- The EHDCC's projected emissions could consume nearly 20 times Havering borough's carbon budget by 2038.
- Digital Reef proposed a £77.6m contribution to a carbon offset fund for any emissions shortfall.
A proposed hyperscale datacentre in outer London, the East Havering Data Centre Campus (EHDCC), faces scrutiny over its projected environmental impact, with planning documents revealing an annual carbon footprint equivalent to 27,000 flights to New York.
The EHDCC, planned for north Ockendon, would occupy 218 hectares of green belt land and, if approved by Havering council, would be one of Europe's largest datacentres. Developer Digital Reef estimates the project would generate over 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) annually once fully operational, totaling more than 72 million tonnes over its 60-year lifespan. This projection is the highest disclosed by any developer for a proposed datacentre in the UK.
Digital Reef acknowledges in its planning application that the £14.7bn project "does not align with a science-based 1.5C compatible trajectory and achieving net zero by 2050." The datacentre's estimated electricity consumption at a likely 50% load would be 2.65 billion kWh per year, equivalent to the demand of over 1 million UK households. This power would primarily come from a 600MVA connection to the National Grid, necessitating major upgrades to nearby substations, expected by 2033.
Advocacy groups have labeled the projected emissions as "staggering" and a significant threat to the UK's decarbonization efforts, warning of a drain on resources needed by homes and businesses. The North Ockendon Residents Group has criticized the development as a "massacre" of green belt land, citing loss of farmland, wildlife habitats, and pollution costs.
The scale of datacentre emissions raises questions about reconciling the UK's rapid AI infrastructure expansion with its climate targets. The government designated datacentres as "critical national infrastructure" in 2024, and usage of UK electricity by datacentres is predicted to quadruple by 2030 from its early 2025 level of 2.5%. Planning legislation was amended in January to allow datacentre developers to apply as nationally significant infrastructure projects, bypassing local authority planning procedures.
Britain's grid operator, Neso, has warned that datacentre developers have requested 72.8GW of electricity connections by 2039, a substantial increase driven by the AI race. Campaigners urge the government to ensure developers bear the social and environmental costs, suggesting they should be required to build sufficient renewable generation and storage to power their facilities rather than solely relying on the grid.
By 2038, the EHDCC's operational emissions alone are projected to consume nearly 20 times the carbon budget of the Havering borough and almost 1% of the UK's total carbon budget. Digital Reef has proposed a cash-in-lieu contribution of approximately £77.6m to the borough's carbon offset fund for any shortfall in meeting zero-carbon targets.