Chapelcross, the  former  nuclear 
power plant near Annan, is being 
considered for construction as a hyperscale data centre . It has already created big concerns among 
the local community, not least because of the impact it will have on 
them. When built it will consume 
vast amounts of electricity – estimated to be the equivalent to that used by more than one million 
homes. At the same time, it will 
also have to use colossal amounts 
of water to cool the process down – 
the same amount as used by 
200,000 homes. 
At a time of increasing temperatures leading to drought and water 
shortages globally – no wonder 
people are angry. With our own energy prices forever increasing - lining the pockets of the privatised 
energy companies – the real fear 
that these massive constructions 
will drive up energy costs is a genuine one. 
The climate emergency is real – but 
these vast energy guzzerlers will 
only make it worse. The paltry investments in renewables by governments and the privatised energy 
companies can’t match the demand that the hyperscalers will put 
on them. 
In Ireland, where 22% of the country’s energy was used by data centres in 2024 (50% in Dublin). Data centres are threatening the country’s climate commitments and renewable energy which should have 
displaced fossil fuel use, as per 
their projections, is being diverted 
to serving data centres.  
  
And let’s be clear – these data centres are not being built for public good. They are being financed and 
will be run for the benefit of the top 
- primarily US - tech companies who are investing hundreds of billions 
into AI technology. Not for the benefit of human kind – but for their own hoped for profits. 
Across the world – AI-related data 
centres are arousing mass community opposition, including across 
the US. New York recently became 
the first state in the US to impose 
a one-year pause on new “hyperscale” datacentres. 

Who is building at 
Chapelcross?
CX Power is the “strategic developer” at Chapelcross. But in reality 
once completed it will be handed 
over to a yet unnamed tech corporation. With vast tracts of Scotland 
being snapped up for massive, 
power-hungry industrial complexes 
– with the aid of the Scottish government - you won’t see the names 
of the world’s richest tech giants in 
the planning applications. Instead, 
they hide behind front organisations, private infrastructure developers, and to do their dirty work.

What can we do about it in 
Scotland? 
There are at least a dozen hyperscale data centres being considered across Scotland Get 
organised. Set up a local public 
meetings to organise your community. Apply political pressure – write 
to, lobby MSPs, MPs and councillors and demand they take a stand 
in opposition. 
Demand the Scottish government 
halt their 2021 action plan and insist that they and local councils impose a moratorium on further 
planning permission for construction. Link up the campaigns across 
Join Socialist Party Scotland 
JOIN THE FIGHT FOR SOCIALIST CHANGESCAN THE QR CODE OPPOSITE OR TEXT 
JOIN WITH YOUR NAME TO 07889135533 
Scotland and indeed internationally 
to learn from each other, share experiences and unite the struggles 
against this corporate vandalism. 

Do the hyperscale data centre 
create jobs? 
In the construction of them there 
will be temporary jobs created – but 
in the running of the data centres, 
negligibly few. In truth, in the hands 
of the multi-national hyperscalers 
like Google, Amazon, Microsoft and 
others, millions of jobs are already 
beginning to be lost through the implementation of AI. 

Surely we need AI? 
We say, rather than make millions 
unemployed, the use of AI technology could be used to cut the working week with no loss of pay, rather 
than throw skilled workers on the 
scrap heap. Why not use the advances in technology to plan the 
running of economy and society 
based on human need not for corporate greed? 

What’s socialism got to 
do with it? 
But that would require bringing the 
hyerpscalers, alongside the banks 
and other major industries into public ownership. Which is why we 
need to build a political voice that 
argues for these types of socialist 
policies. 
As it is the massive corporate investments into AI has created a 
bubble that will inevitably burst. 
When it does burst, it will have a 
devastating consequences on the 
world economy from Scotland, to 
the US to China and across the 
world. And those who created the 
crisis, the billionaires, will expect 
us to pay the price through job 
losses, cuts to our living standards and even worse public services. 

That’s why Socialist Party Scotland says the fight against the data centres is a fight against capitalism itself and for a socialist future. Get organised! Fight back! Join the Socialists!