Google’s UK AI datacentres misstate emissions by factor of five

*TL;DR: Planning documents for Google’s AI datacentres in Thurrock and North Weald list emissions at 0.033% and 0.043% of the UK carbon budget; independent analysis shows the correct figures are 0.165% and 0.215%, a five‑fold underestimate.

Context Google is applying for permission to build two large AI datacentres in Essex: a 52‑hectare site in Thurrock and a former airfield in North Weald. Both projects are part of a wave of high‑performance computing facilities that consume significant electricity and generate carbon emissions. The UK government allocates a national carbon budget—a cap on total greenhouse‑gas emissions—over five‑year periods to meet net‑zero targets.

Key Facts - The Thurrock application claimed the datacentre would use 0.033% of the UK’s 2028‑2032 carbon budget. Re‑calculations show the figure should be 0.165%, meaning the site would consume five times more of the budget than reported. - The North Weald proposal listed emissions at 0.043% of the 2033‑2037 budget. The corrected share is 0.215%, again a five‑fold gap. - Foxglove, a tech‑justice nonprofit, identified the error by comparing the datacentre’s annual emissions against the five‑year national budget instead of a single‑year benchmark. This methodological flaw inflates the apparent environmental performance. - Tim Squirrell, head of strategy at Foxglove, said Google now faces “serious questions” about its pollution figures and warned that councils and the public have been misled. - Combined, the three AI facilities under scrutiny—including a separate project in north Lincolnshire—will account for more than 1% of the UK’s 2033 carbon budget, roughly the annual emissions of a city the size of Bristol.

What It Means The miscalculation changes the narrative around Google’s climate commitments in the UK. A share of 0.165% for Thurrock translates to emissions comparable to a medium international airport; the North Weald site’s 0.215% share exceeds that of a major regional hub. If the corrected figures hold, the projects will add a measurable load to a national budget already strained by transport and industry.

Local planning authorities must now reassess the applications with accurate emissions data. The discrepancy also raises broader questions about how tech firms report environmental impact in regulatory filings. Transparency in methodology will become a focal point as the UK tightens its carbon budgets.

What to watch next Watch for council decisions on the revised applications and any response from Google clarifying its emissions accounting.