Massive Understatements Mask True Climate Impact of Proposed Essex and Lincolnshire Facilities
Google and Greystoke developers have drastically downplayed the carbon emissions their upcoming AI datacentres will add to the UK’s climate footprint, according to an in-depth review by environmental experts. These misleading figures threaten to obscure the real environmental cost of some of the largest tech infrastructure projects planned in the country.
Datacentres in Essex and Lincolnshire Underestimate Emissions by Five Times
Google aims to construct two sprawling datacentres: a 52-hectare (130-acre) site in Thurrock, Essex, and another on an airfield near North Weald, also in Essex. As part of the planning process, developers must quantify how their projects’ carbon emissions compare to the UK’s overall carbon budget.
Yet, experts from the tech justice nonprofit Foxglove discovered that Google’s teams mistakenly compared a single year’s emissions from the datacentres against the UK’s entire five-year carbon budget. This calculation error shrinks the reported impact by a factor of five.
Similarly, Greystoke’s proposed datacentre at Elsham Tech Park in north Lincolnshire—one of the largest planned in the UK—also commits this same critical miscalculation. Combined, these three facilities would consume over 1% of the UK’s carbon budget for 2033, equivalent to the annual emissions of a city the size of Bristol.
Foxglove Demands Accountability Over Misleading Emissions Data
Tim Squirrell, Foxglove’s head of strategy, stated: “Google has serious questions to answer about its dubious datacentre pollution figures. By comparing one year of datacentre emissions with five years of UK emissions, they’re making the environmental impact look five times smaller than it really is.”
He added, “Unless they provide a clear explanation, it appears they are deliberately misleading both the council and the public about the true climate damage their operations will cause.”
Government AI and Energy Planning Contradictions Compound Confusion
These inaccuracies come amid mounting concerns about the UK government’s inconsistent approaches to AI development and decarbonisation. The Guardian previously revealed a tenfold discrepancy between government departments over projected energy use by UK datacentres, highlighting a troubling lack of coordination in climate strategy.
True Emissions Far Exceed Official Claims
Google’s Thurrock datacentre claims it will emit just 0.033% of the UK’s carbon budget for 2028–2032. The actual figure is 0.165%. Meanwhile, the North Weald project estimates 0.043% emissions from 2033–2037, but real emissions will be five times higher at 0.215%.
Steven Heather, a local councillor, confirmed that the North Weald site only holds outline planning permission. “If there is a gross error, they’ll obviously pick up on it. When it goes to the submissions stage, the developers will have to come back with the proper figure,” he said.
Greystoke’s Elsham Tech Park Also Severely Underreports Emissions
Elsham Tech Park’s planning documents state its emissions will constitute 0.1043% of the UK’s carbon budget in 2033, but the corrected figure is 0.5215%. Despite these revelations, the developers argue their project’s impact on the UK’s climate goals will remain minor.
The Elsham Tech Park team emphasizes ecological enhancements such as bird and bat boxes and wildflower grassland to bolster local biodiversity.
Environmental Impact Comparable to Major Urban and Transport Emissions
All three datacentres are officially classified as having a “minor adverse” effect on the UK’s climate targets. Yet, the Thurrock site alone will emit more carbon than an international airport. Elsham Tech Park’s peak emissions in 2033–34 are projected at 1 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent—close to the 1.2 million tonnes produced annually by the UK’s entire domestic flight sector.
Responses from Google and Greystoke
Google has not responded to requests for comment on these discrepancies.
Greystoke acknowledged the issue, stating: “We expect to submit revised figures to the local planning authority as part of the planning process.”
Elsham Tech Park highlighted the economic benefits of its development, projecting “£10 billion in private investment, thousands of well-paid operational and construction jobs, and support for local supply chains.”
