Carbon Emissions: Data Centres
2026-05-18 · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero · 2680 · Official question
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Government plans to take steps to balance its updated emissions estimates of data centres with the decarbonisation required in the fifth carbon budget.
Answer
Growth in data centre electricity demand is inherently uncertain and, where additional electricity demand does materialise, the UK’s rapidly decarbonising power sector will help to mitigate the emissions impact. We will continue to test a range of data ce...