AI Boom Risks Pushing UK Further Away From 2030 Carbon Goals

By Eamon Farhat

Britain is relying on a renewables expansion that is too slow to meet the booming power needs of data centers and risks missing its 2030 decarbonization targets as a result.

Regardless of whether the nation’s data center buildout maintains its current momentum or accelerates, increasing electricity demand won’t allow it to meet its end-of-decade goal for a clean power system, market analytics firm Aurora Energy Research said in a report.

That’s because higher demand will likely need to be met with natural gas. Aurora said it’s possible to avoid missing decarbonization goals if the UK expands its grid and renewable infrastructure by more than what’s currently planned.

Tech companies across the globe are hungry for stable supplies of electricity, with gas-fired power plants often favored due to their ability to meet 24-7 electricity needs. In the US, large firms such as Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google have reported soaring emissions amid higher energy use, while Meta Platforms Inc. signed a 20-year deal to buy nuclear power.

Aurora sees data center demand reaching as much as 10% of total UK power demand by 2030, up from 4% this year.

Read More: AI’s Urgent Need for Power Spurs Return of Dirtier Gas Turbines

The UK government is keen to tap into the economic growth offered by the data center sector, but has also set out clear green goals around its power system.

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