07/10/2026
Data Centre - Freeport
Some residents may already know about proposals for a data centre, including battery storage, on the former Freeport site near Addiewell. I attended a very informative public meeting on Tuesday evening. As a Community Council member, I cannot express a view for or against the proposals. The developer and West Lothian Council Planning did not attend, so their perspectives were not represented. However, I would like to highlight the main points that I believe the public should be aware of.
The development raises issues that have recently received considerable public attention, including very high electricity demand, noise—both conventional and low-frequency (infrasound)—vibration and water use. The proposal does, however, include plans to recycle water.
Without attempting to quantify these impacts, my main concern is that data-centre development is relatively new and has advanced rapidly, leaving planning authorities without specific guidelines or standards. As a result, planners and the public can currently rely only on National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) for guidance. The Scottish Government has therefore introduced a moratorium on the progression of planning applications while it seeks advice and prepares further guidance. It has said that this work will be completed by Christmas, although I believe that timetable may be unrealistic given the complexity of the issues:
• There is currently insufficient sustainable power capacity, and gas turbines may be needed. It would not be possible at present to supply all proposed data centres with enough power, whether from sustainable sources or otherwise. Ireland has already restricted further data-centre development because of power constraints.
• There are no established standards for assessing vibration or its potential effects on the surrounding area, including former mine workings.
• Emergency diesel generators would be used during power cuts. Their noise has not been assessed, nor have the associated pollution and potential implications for net-zero objectives.
• Domestic electricity bills have reportedly risen in Ireland and in some parts of the United States where data-centre demand has increased.
For me, the main conclusion from the discussion is that, based on the evidence currently available, data-centre development should be paused until the technical and economic issues have been fully assessed and the findings made public.
Action to Protect Rural Scotland (APRS) provides comprehensive information on its website: https://aprs.scot/data-centres-campaign/
The developer, Apature, also has a website for the Freeport proposal as part of its public consultation, where its information is available.
Data centres are the biggest threat to Scotland's net zero target and to our countryside. Join our campaign!
