Cathal Griffin highlights the urgency for holistic planning reforms in datacentre development, stating, "Planning reform should look holistically at building permissions, grid connections and beyond, such as ensuring key links with communities that support sustainable choices such as heat reuse and waste minimisation." This underlines a call for comprehensive strategies that not only focus on individual aspects but integrate sustainable practices into the datacentre infrastructure.
According to Griffin, significant gaps exist in the transition to renewable energy for datacentres, noting, "Terawatts (TW) of UK windfarm power have ended up unused and switched off because they had no way of getting it on shore, storing it or sending it." This emphasizes the importance of creating effective mechanisms to harness renewable energy.
Griffin expresses concerns over the lack of cohesive planning, saying, "You'll hear that this offshore project has just been signed on, but not exactly how it's going to get anywhere, or how anybody's going to get to the energy, or how we're going to benefit from it." This statement highlights the disconnect in project execution despite ongoing announcements.
On Microsoft's datacentre plans, Griffin states, "While planning permission for the project has been granted, the total land purchase does not complete until 2026, which tells me they don't have those three dots joined up yet - planning, policy and reform." This illustrates the delays and uncertainties that accompany large development projects.
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