Committees

Risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK

Inquiry

Data centres are regarded by ministers as being central to UK economic growth and were designated critical national infrastructure (CNI) in September 2024, offering them more legal protections. But their electricity consumption is expected to quadruple by 2030, according to the National Energy System Operator, raising concerns about their sustainability

In their new inquiry, MPs will explore how growing AI use might accelerate the need for data centres and whether planning authorities will take account of their impact on the environment. They will also consider how new technologies could minimise their environmental impact and what lessons the UK could learn from other countries. Amongst the issues the Environmental Audit Committee’s new inquiry will examine will be how much energy and water data centres are likely to use, and how this could impact the Government’s net zero goals.

Read the call for evidence for more information about this inquiry, and to find out how to submit written evidence through the Committee's online evidence submission portal.

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was 5:00pm on 6 April 2026.

Upcoming events

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No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Wednesday 1 July 2026
2:30pm Public
Risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK - Oral evidence 1 July 2026
2:30pm
  • Tone Langengen (Senior Policy Advisor for Energy Policy at Tony Blair Institute)
  • Adam Eaton (Chief Executive Officer at VIRTUS Data Centres)
  • Arka Chanda (Associate at Centre for Economic Transition Expertise (CETEx))
3:30pm
  • Dr Alejandro Gallego-Schmid (Researcher at The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, The University of Manchester)
  • Stephen Busette (Lead Data Centre Vertical Market UK & Ireland at Siemens)
  • Pablo John (Head of External Affairs at Association for Decentralised Energy)
The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Wednesday 10 June 2026
2:30pm Public
Risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK - Oral evidence 10 June 2026
2:30pm
  • Christina Christopoulou (Senior Manager, Infrastructure, Energy and Environmental Policy at Amazon Web Services)
  • Steen Stewart (Senior Advisory Consultant at Crown Hosting Framework Authority)
  • Michael Birtwistle (Associate Director of Law and Policy at Ada Lovelace Institute)
3:30pm
  • Matt Evans (Chief Operating Officer and Director of Markets at techUK)
  • Oliver Hayes (Head of Policy and Campaigns at Global Action Plan)
  • Dame Dawn Childs (CEO at nLighten)
The Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Contact us

We receive a significant number of emails each day. All requests and invitations are considered but we do not respond directly to everyone. Please be aware, the committee does not look at individual cases or specific complaints.

  • Email: eacom@parliament.uk
  • Address: Environmental Audit Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA