Hundreds gather to urge Scottish government to pause datacentre boom

Opposition mounts as at least 20 projects proposed, including one in Fife billed as second largest in world

Kat Jones may be the closest thing Scotland has to Erin Brockovich in 2026. Standing in the shadow of Arthur's Seat outside Holyrood, the 52-year-old is revving up the crowd of protesters around her. Who is here from Lammermuir? Ayrshire? What about Aberdeen?" she calls to the crowd.

On Thursday, hundreds travelled to Edinburgh to call for an immediate moratorium on Scotland's datacentre boom, which includes one project in Auchtertool, Fife, that has been billed as the second largest in the world.