Fury over plans to build supersized AI data centre beside tiny Scottish village
Protests are being organised over plans to build a supersized AI data centre beside a small village in Scotland, LBC's learned.
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The 'Cato' site neighboring sleepy Auchtertool in Fife would be comparable with some of the world's biggest data campuses in the likes of Nevada.
Its total power capacity of 600MW would be just 50MW less than the 'Citadel' there, and projections suggest it could use up to 4000GWh every year, equivalent to the energy used by half of all households in Scotland. It could also use the same amount of water every year as 239 homes.
The ILI Group behind it has indicated it would build a complex of data hall buildings - some the same height as eight double decker buses (35m) - within a proposed site the size of 100 football pitches.
That would be bigger than the entire village of just over 200 homes it would sit beside.
Fife Council is now considering whether to grant ILI the permission in principle it is now formally seeking which would precede more detailed plans being allowed to be submitted at a later date.
Read more: Ministers must ‘get a grip’ on data centre applications, campaigners say
Community Council leader Andrea Caill is leading the campaign against the plans and hopes local officials nip it in the bud by refusing initial permission.
She told LBC: "It will be six data centre warehouse type facilities that are 35 metres in height, that's eight double decker buses, and up to 600 metres in length.
"That will literally fill the whole of this space. It looks as though it is going to be bigger than the entire village.
"The plan suggests that the nearest residence, which is over the hill, is 300 metres away from the edge of the site. And we reckon that the village centre is probably about less than half a mile from here.
"What is going to be the final impact be on our environment? The noise that comes from it? Where is the heat it creates going to go?
"There's a lot of unknowns and I think as a village that's the bit that's the most frightening."
Community Trust leader Dr Pat Carragher told LBC: "I can't even get the thought properly into my head of this ginormous USS Starship just being dropped into this field beside us.
"It's mind boggling. It will dwarf the wee village of Auchtertool."
Local business owners also have concerns about what impact the site could have for their trade.
Michael and Jonathan run a log cabin as an Airbnb close to its proposed perimiter.
Michael told LBC: "It's like eight storeys, nine storeys, outside our gates. I mean you just can't believe it. Cabin there, data centre there.
Jonathan told LBC: "It will have an impact if it goes ahead. And it could be basically a fatal impact.
"It could be massive in terms of bookings, in terms of what we could charge, in terms of ongoing reviews.
"We don't want to come across as a community of NIMBYs because we're not. We have a couple of wind farms around here. We've got the battery storage, we're getting the solar array, but this will be completely overwhelming."
LBC also attended an emergency community meeting called at the town's village hall with hundreds of the village's 600 population in attendance.
Many raised concerns over the scale and proximity of the proposed development, its potential impact on the environment and current stance of Fife Council in not requiring an environmental impact assessment at this stage.
One resident told those gathered: "This kind of scale is bonkers. Even this proposal has essentially wiped the value of living in Auchtertool. We aren't going to be able to sell our homes.
A second said: "Another said: "Some people are talking about the bonus jobs and things like that. But I just want to remind everyone that data centres are made to run lean."
And a third: "It's absolutely absurd. I'm sure you've seen the videos of people in Arizona and other places in the United States that no longer have water pressure through their pipes anymore because of this."
Many of those in attendance also agreed with organising protests with applause for one resident who said: "I know a lot of people might not be used to this idea of maybe picking up a sign or going out and blocking a road but if it's the difference between this data centre opening up, start to think about it now."
In response to the concerns raised by residents the ILI Group has issued the following statement suggesting the site would represents billions of pounds worth of investment, support hundreds of jobs and would be built and operated sustainably. The specific location appears to have been chosen due to its proximity to other green infrastructure such as wind turbines and battery storage.
A spokesperson said: "Our Cato project represents a significant opportunity for Fife and for Scotland's digital infrastructure ambitions, bringing substantial investment and high-quality jobs.
"We understand why a project of this scale prompts questions from local residents, and we take those concerns seriously.
"On the question of environmental assessment: 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 very detailed in terms of noise impact, air quality, landscape and more. 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.
"On energy use, we would ask people to consider a fact that may seem counterintuitive: Scotland currently generates far more renewable electricity than the grid can use, and pays wind farms to switch off as a result. Rather than wasting that clean energy, Cato would put it to work locally. That is good for the environment and it helps reduce the overall cost of running Scotland's electricity system, which puts downward pressure on household energy bills.
"Cato has been designed with the local community in mind. The site will use as much water annually as around a couple of hundred average homes, a fraction of what the neighbouring Mossmorran plant consumed before its closure. The majority of the wider site, including the Auchtertool Linn Wildlife Site, will remain untouched and will in fact be enhanced, with new woodland, wetland and wildflower meadow habitats created across most of the land.
"On noise, our planning application includes detailed noise assessments, and we are committed to managing construction responsibly and maintaining open communication with residents throughout.
"We have been in dialogue with Auchtertool Community Council for over a year and we welcome their continued engagement. We would encourage anyone with questions to get in touch with us directly."