Public and political opposition to data centre development is intensifying globally, with the issue becoming a significant flashpoint ahead of the US midterm elections on 3 November 2026, according to BBC reporting published on 25 October. Both Republican and opposition Democrat politicians have come out against data centre expansion, putting them on a collision course with President Donald Trump, who has dismissed the pushback. The scale of the industry explains the reaction. There are approximately 12,250 data centres worldwide, up from around 8,000 operational sites in 2021. The United States leads with 4,767 sites and an installed capacity of 53.73 gigawatts (GW), compared to the EU's 11.92 GW and the UK's 2.59 GW. Globally, data centres are estimated to consume more electricity than the whole of France. The AI boom is the primary driver of expansion. Sites under construction include planned complexes of unprecedented scale: the OpenAI-backed Stargate project in Texas spans 3.5 square kilometres, and Meta's proposed Hyperion complex in Louisiana covers approximately 11 square kilometres, comparable in area to London Heathrow Airport. All are being built to provide computing power for AI services. The backlash is rooted in local concerns about electricity consumption, water use for cooling, and land clearance, with opponents citing risks of water shortages and increased carbon emissions. The planning and regulatory environment for large-scale data centre development is therefore under growing pressure across multiple jurisdictions, with implications for how future projects are permitted and what environmental conditions they must satisfy.
Why this matters
The politicisation of data centre planning in the US, combined with Europe's already significant capacity gap relative to the US and China, creates a bifurcated landscape where American expansion may slow while European and UK jurisdictions compete to attract investment under more structured regulatory frameworks. For the UK, the tension between the government's ambition to become an AI superpower and local opposition to large-scale energy infrastructure is already visible in the planning system. The data centre sector's power demands are also creating pressure on grid connections and electricity pricing, with knock-on effects for industrial energy policy. The intersection of planning law, environmental regulation, and technology investment makes this one of the most legally complex infrastructure categories of the current cycle.
On the Ground
Data centre development work spans planning and environment, energy regulation, real estate, and technology law. Lawyers advising developers must navigate grid connection agreements, planning permission and environmental impact assessments, and increasingly, local community opposition that can delay or derail projects. Firms with energy and infrastructure practices will see growing demand for advice on power purchase agreements (PPAs, long-term contracts to buy electricity at a fixed price) and grid connection consents. A trainee on this type of matter would assist with regulatory filing coordination, summarise planning permission and licence conditions, and review grid connection agreement terms against project requirements.
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