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Search the Public Notice PortalThe potential environmental impact of South Bucks data centre plans has been described as complex and not necessarily negative by the Science Minister.
Speaking at a Slough pharmaceutical company lab, which is set to be demolished and turned into a data centre, Lord Patrick Vallance responded to environmental concerns about data centres in the town and over the border in South Bucks.
Pinewood Studios is set to build a £1 billion data centre in Iver, and Amazon has submitted a proposal for the same town.
Veolia and a US-based investment firm, SDC, have plans for a power plant and data centre between Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross.
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Previously, Beaconsfield MP Joy Morrissey has criticised the government's approval of data centre plans, saying it is endangering the green belt.
She sated: "I’m standing alongside local Councillors and Residents Associations to oppose the relentless wave of Data Centre applications threatening the Ivers."
The Free Press, questioned the Science Minister on the environmental impact of data centres proposed for South Bucks.
He responded: "I think there are clearly questions about water consumption, about obviously the facilities themselves, about energy consumption.
"All of that is being looked at and it's worth looking at what's happening."
On energy consumption, he said: "You've got new chips coming along that reduce that energy consumption a thousandfold."
On water, he added: "There are things you can do like recirculating systems for data centres, like using grey water for data centres.
"So all of that is really at the cutting edge of how you reduce that environmental impact."
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Lord Vallance stated that the argument in 'many of the papers' written by the government is that the environmental impact is going to be net positive.
He added: "You're going to be able to use the AI to make sure you've got a more efficient grid system, more efficient use of energy, better generation of green energy.
"I don't think it's as simple as saying this is negative."
The Minister also spoke about the positives he hopes that AI will bring to the country.
The lab he was visiting is run by UCB, a company specialising in treating cancer and autoimmune diseases using antibodies.
He said: "They're generating huge amounts of data which can then be fed into AI to learn how to do it better for the future."
Over the Berks border, he referred to Slough as a 'massive data centre area for the UK' and called the expansion in the area a great thing.
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