Select Committee · Environmental Audit Committee
Risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK
Status: Open
Opened: 27 Feb 2026
Inquiry scope
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.Oral evidence sessions
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| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 2026 | Adam Eaton · VIRTUS Data Centres, Arka Chanda · Centre for Economic Transition Expertise (CETEx), Dr Alejandro Gallego-Schmid · The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, The University of Manchester, Pablo John · Association for Decentralised Energy, Stephen Busette · Siemens, Tone Langengen · Tony Blair Institute | View ↗ |
| 10 Jun 2026 | Christina Christopoulou · Amazon Web Services, Dame Dawn Childs · Pure Data Centres Group, Matt Evans · techUK, Michael Birtwistle · Ada Lovelace Institute, Oliver Hayes · Global Action Plan, Steen Stewart · Crown Hosting Framework Authority | View ↗ |
| 29 Apr 2026 | Christina Christopoulou · Amazon Web Services, Dame Dawn Childs · Pure Data Centres Group, Matt Evans · techUK, Oliver Hayes · Global Action Plan, Steen Stewart · Crown Hosting Framework Authority | View ↗ |
Written evidence
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Who gave evidence
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| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Christina Christopoulou · Senior Manager for Infrastructure, Energy and Environmental Policy | Amazon Web Services | 2 |
| Dame Dawn Childs · Chief Executive Officer | Pure Data Centres Group | 2 |
| Matt Evans · Chief Operating Officer and Director of Markets | techUK | 2 |
| Oliver Hayes · Head of Policy and Campaigns | Global Action Plan | 2 |
| Steen Stewart · Senior Advisory Consultant | Crown Hosting Framework Authority | 2 |
| Adam Eaton · Chief Executive Officer | VIRTUS Data Centres | 1 |
| Arka Chanda · Associate | Centre for Economic Transition Expertise (CETEx) | 1 |
| Dr Alejandro Gallego-Schmid · Researcher | The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, The University of Manchester | 1 |
| Michael Birtwistle · Associate Director | Ada Lovelace Institute | 1 |
| Pablo John · Head of External Affairs | Association for Decentralised Energy | 1 |
| Stephen Busette · Lead Data Centre Vertical Market UK & Ireland | Siemens | 1 |
| Tone Langengen · Senior Policy Advisor for Energy Policy | Tony Blair Institute | 1 |
Correspondence
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| Published | Direction | Letter |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Feb 2026 | To committee | Letter from the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero in response to the committees letter relating to Data Centres and the Seventh Carbon Budget, 20 February 2026 |