Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) have rejected a motion that sought to impose a temporary halt on new data centre developments. The motion, proposed by the Green Party, aimed to pause all such projects to allow time for the creation of comprehensive national guidelines. Public Finance Minister Hannah Mary Goodland opposed the idea, stating that a moratorium would "send the wrong message" to potential investors. Instead, the Scottish Government has committed to providing new guidance to help local planning authorities make decisions on data centre applications by Christmas. The Greens, led by MSP Patrick Harvie, argued that the proposed pause was necessary to ensure that data centre expansions are properly planned and do not cause undue harm to local communities or the environment. Harvie emphasized the need to "press pause" on large-scale hyperscale data centres, which have raised concerns about energy use and environmental impact. However, Goodland insisted that the government would provide the necessary guidance within three months, making a moratorium unnecessary. The government's amendment to the Green motion passed with 72 votes in favor, 32 against, and 16 abstentions. This amendment pledged the swift creation of national planning and spatial guidance by the end of the year to determine the conditions under which data centre development should be allowed. Environmental concerns have been a central part of the debate. Harvie highlighted the massive electricity demands of data centres, stating that the first 24 current proposals would require 1.5 times Scotland's peak electricity demand. He argued that there is currently no overall strategy for managing such developments and that planning guidance alone would not be enough to determine the appropriate scale of data infrastructure in Scotland. Environmental groups have also called for a pause, citing the need for more comprehensive planning and impact assessments. The debate followed the announcement that all data centres with a capacity of 50 megawatts or more will require environmental impact assessments. This applies to both new applications and those already in the planning process. Goodland acknowledged that the data centre sector is rapidly evolving and that new evidence about their environmental impact continues to emerge. A Labour amendment, which emphasized that no planning decisions should be made before the guidance is developed, was also passed by the Scottish Parliament. Dr. Kat Jones, director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, called the outcome a "landmark day" for communities affected by data centre projects. She praised the Scottish Greens and Scottish Labour for their roles in securing the result and urged the government to act quickly on applications that are nearing a decision. Jones emphasized that while much work remains, the outcome represents a "huge step forward" in addressing concerns about the impact of large-scale data centre developments on local areas.