Proposed London datacentre would emit CO2 equal to 27,000 New York flights

techAug 21, 202628139

Planning documents show Digital Reef’s proposed East Havering Data Centre Campus in North Ockendon would cover 218 hectares of green belt and, if approved by Havering council, become one of Europe’s largest datacentres. The £14.7bn “hyperscale” project estimates more than 72m tonnes CO2e over a 60-year life, about 1.2m tonnes annually once fully operational, which the developers equate to 26,795 London, New York flights using the ICAO calculator. Digital Reef says the scheme “does not align with a science-based 1.5C compatible trajectory and achieving net zero by 2050.” At a likely 50% load the campus would draw about 2.65bn kWh a year, equivalent to the electricity use of more than 1m UK households (Ofgem average 2,500 kWh). The site would require a 600MVA connection to the National Grid and major upgrades including a new 400kV substation and a 132kV UK Power Networks facility, with the full connection expected by 2033. Advocacy director Donald Campbell of Foxglove called the projected emissions “staggering,” and the North Ockendon Residents Association described the plan as a “massacre” of green belt farmland. The project raises questions about reconciling rapid expansion of AI infrastructure with the UK’s legally binding climate targets and follows the 2024 government designation of datacentres as critical national infrastructure.

The Guardian

@theguardian.com

Proposed London datacentre will have annual carbon footprint of 27,000 flights to New York

963h ago

Assembled Person8

Anyone who submits plans for a data centre without solar roofing; should be banned from working in planning and architecture for life. Any degrees they have should be rescinded; and any car they own crushed in front of them without any compensation. Video posted online for our amusement.

Chris at BOTR6

Once again it's easy to see who's running the show. Corporations & their legions of advisors & influencers triumph over elected MP's on every crucial issue. We're being led by opportunistic pied pipers down the road to extinction as we persist with illusory economics, politics & beliefs!

welshprince.bsky.social2

It's staggering what are politicians are doing....zero jobs and environmental disasters...leave these ai data centres in the US... #notodatacentres

David Norris1

Will have? It’s only a proposal at the moment. They’ll have to sort the water supply out too.

Isaac1

@london.gov.uk This cannot be allowed to continue.

Quoting this

Douglas Cheape23

Remember folks, wash out your tin cans before placing them in the correct recycling bin.

รℓσαɳε ℓყรɓεƭɦ 🏳️‍🌈17

it’s dunny when @lucympowell.bsky.social and her bestie andy burnham say they aren’t neoliberals anymore. they’re worse than tories. at least tories are honest.

Janey Salisbury3

This idiocy really has to stop.

Bon. Jam Bon.2

L’IA est une bulle financière en plus d’être une catastrophe environnementale.

Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

@joshlukedavis.com

anyone I know who lives in London needs to email their MP and the London Mayor the stats on this thing are genuinely appalling, and goes directly against the Mayor's commitment "for London to be net zero carbon by 2030" www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

171h ago

Aggy

@aggykins.bsky.social

‘These datacentres are ultimately going to be serving the wealthiest companies in the world – so they need to be required to carry that cost’ Are these things really a force for the good of society…🤔 www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

72h ago

Cornish Skipper #FBPE #RejoinEU 🇪🇺 〓〓 🔶🌹💚💙

@cornishskipper.wsocial.eu

“A “hyperscale” datacentre in outer London would generate…carbon footprint of 27,000 flights from London to New York…the campus would consume 2.65bn kWh per year of electricity, equivalent to the demand of more than 1m UK households.” 💯 unacceptable #ClimateCrisis www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

71h ago

Brian

@brianscant.bsky.social

I would like to know (genuine question) what the Green’s view of these data centres is? @zackpolanski.bsky.social ? Any informed Green Party members? They feel like the ultimate tools of authoritarian corporate-owned government. #DataCentres www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

41h ago

Quiet Majority

@majorityquiet.bsky.social

1/3 Well, there we all are walking, cycling, using public transport and moving to EVs to reduce our carbon footprint. It’s good for us and good for the environment. And good for the Government’s Net Zero Targets. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

1h ago

Barry Langford

@barrylangford1999.bsky.social

The UK government, incredibly, designated data centres “critical national infrastructure” in 2024 - allowing them to bypass planning regulations. It is, rather, critical to national infrastructure that NONE of these grotesque cancers are ever built. #STOPAINOW www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

11h ago

Mike

@ksmikey.eurosky.social

In the most water-stressed region of the U.K., they want to built a water-guzzling data centre that has a yearly carbon footprint of 27,000 flights to New York We don’t need it www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

13h ago

Andrew Lorimer

@drew04.bsky.social

Can I build a data centre in my backayrd? Colliers 2.78K subscribers Aug 18, 2026 #Colliers #DataCentre #DigitalInfrastructure youtu.be/UUJVgpRYr8c

1Yesterday

Margaret Hollins

@hollinsmargaret.bsky.social

👀 “By 2038, the EHDCC operational emissions alone are projected to consume nearly 20 times the entire carbon budget of the borough of Havering and almost 1% of the UK’s entire carbon budget.” #Datacentres #Planning www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

2h ago

matilda jay

@wavesounds.bsky.social

ok london but what if we just said no to this www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

22h ago

Somersetchris

@somersetchris.bsky.social

'Planning documents said that where the zero-carbon target cannot be met on site, “any shortfall would be provided through a cash in lieu contribution to the borough’s carbon offset fund”.' Translation - we will pay the borough of Havering to fuck the planet

12h ago

Grey Area

@greyarea22.bsky.social

So don't fucking do it then When do we stop allowing corporations to kill out children's future? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

11h ago

dr.d aka Subvertiser

@subvertiser.bsky.social

#bricklanedatacentre what a great idea to kill off an area. #datacentre Free download to print out via my good friend @grow_up_art_ buymeacoffee.com/growupart/ex...

119h ago

Antony 'Dop' Shepherd

@ajshepherd.bsky.social

Incompatible with UK net zero targets, but Burn'em by nature doesn't seem to have made an effort to give a damn about those so far. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

3h ago

1 source

theguardian.comProposed London datacentre will have annual carbon footprint of 27,000 flights to New York

Proposed London datacentre would emit CO2 equal to 27,000 New York flightstech

Proposed London datacentre would emit CO2 equal to 27,000 New York flights

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