Google’s new Essex datacentre to pump out 570,000 tonnes of CO2 annually

Google’s new and massive datacentre located in Essex has potential to eject more than 570,000 tonnes of CO2 annually as reported by planning documents submitted by Alphabet.

In the case of receiving planning consent, the Thurrock “hyperscale datacentres” will be one of many massive AI powerhouses, spanning across 52 hectares.

The potential impact of the project came to the fore right after the announcement of multibillion-dollar investments in Britain’s AI infrastructure and cloud computing by US tech giants during Donad Trump's state visit to the UK.

The British government run by Keir Starmer has predicted a 13-fold increase in the use of AI computing by 2035 after hoping to seal deals with Nvidia and OpenAI.

However, according to the proponents of climate change, the establishment of massive AI infrastructures and computing warehouses will beef up the UK's green gas emissions, putting further strain on water resources.

If these plans are approved, “It will lead to a net increase in GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions of 568,727 tonnes CO₂е [carbon dioxide equivalent] per year during the operational phase”, as reported by the Guardian.

According to the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization’s carbon calculator, these emissions will be equivalent to 500 flights from Heathrow to Malaga every week.

“Starmer’s government needs to stop bowing to the Trump-Big Tech agenda and start standing up for the interests of the UK public – otherwise we will all be paying for the tech giants’ datacentres, whether in terms of soaring energy bills, dwindling water supplies or a heating planet,” said a spokesperson for Foxglove.

Datacentres are recently responsible for consuming 2.5 percent of the UK’s electricity and the demand will grow quadruple by 2030.