Proposed Havering hyperscale data centre could emit carbon equal to 27,000 transatlantic flights each year

Planning documents reveal that the East Havering Data Centre Campus, a £14.7 billion hyperscale project on 218 hectares of green-belt land in north Ockendon, would emit more than 1 million tonnes of CO₂ annually - a figure the UN aviation calculator equates to 26,795 long-haul flights between London and New York. The development aims to power AI and cloud services with a 600 MVA link to the National Grid, supplemented by a new 400 kV substation and a 132 kV facility, slated for completion by 2033.

Electricity demand is projected at 2.65 billion kWh per year, comparable to the consumption of over a million UK households. Advocacy director Donald Campbell of Foxglove called the emissions “staggering” and warned they would consume nearly 20 times Havering’s entire carbon budget and about 1 % of the UK’s total budget by 2038. The application notes that any shortfall in meeting zero-carbon targets would be offset through a £77.6 million contribution to a local carbon-offset fund. Local residents’ groups have condemned the plan as a loss of farmland and wildlife habitat, while the council awaits a final decision.