Google developers significantly misstate carbon emissions of proposed UK datacentres

AI Summary

Developers working for Google have significantly understated the carbon emissions of two proposed AI datacentres in the UK, miscalculating the emissions by a factor of five. These projects are located in Essex and require planning documents to accurately reflect their carbon footprint as part of the UK's total emissions.

Emissions understated by factor of five in Essex plans for tech giant, while Greystoke’s Lincolnshire plans show similar error Developers working for Google have significantly misstated how much carbon two proposed AI datacentres will contribute to the UK’s total emissions in planning documents reviewed by the Guardian. The tech company wants to build two huge datacentres – one 52-hectare (130 acre) project in Thurrock and another at an airfield in North Weald, both in Essex. To do so, developers are required to submit planning documents calculating how much carbon these projects will emit as a proportion of the UK’s total carbon footprint. Continue reading...