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The Scottish Government is facing questions over a minister's letter which appeared to cast doubt on a commitment to introduce national planning guidance for huge, energy-intensive data centres.
Public Finance Minister Hannah Mary Goodlad wrote to Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie on October 8 saying ministers were still considering whether to bring forward guidance for hyperscale developments.
However, the letter came just two days after Ms Goodlad confirmed in a written parliamentary answer that the guidance would be published before Christmas.
She had also told MSPs in September that the government would bring forward national planning guidance by the end of the year.
The apparent contradiction has prompted fresh concerns from Mr Harvie, who warned that ministers must provide clear assurances about the safeguards being developed for Scotland's rapidly expanding data centre industry.
The Scottish Government has since insisted the guidance will be published before the end of 2026.
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However, Mr Harvie accused ministers of giving conflicting accounts of their plans.
He told The Herald: "The Scottish Government is saying one thing in one place and something else in another.
"We need categorical assurances that this guidance will take a national perspective on the overall impact of hyperscale data centres on national resources, energy and infrastructure. Anything less than that would be an abdication of responsibility."
The row centres on a letter sent by Ms Goodlad in response to concerns raised by Mr Harvie about the environmental impact of large-scale data centre developments.
In the correspondence, the minister referred back to comments made by First Minister John Swinney in June.
She wrote that Mr Swinney was giving "active consideration to whether the Scottish Government should provide planning guidance" to balance the rapid expansion of hyperscale data centres with national energy and climate goals.
However, the government had subsequently made a firmer commitment to introduce the guidance.
During a Holyrood debate in September, Ms Goodlad said ministers would return with guidelines by the end of the year.
And in a written parliamentary answer on October 6, she confirmed the guidance would be published before Christmas.
Mr Harvie said the government must now ensure the guidance properly considers the cumulative impact of multiple major developments on Scotland's electricity supplies and infrastructure.
He also questioned whether ministers would allow enough time for meaningful consultation before the guidance is published.
"Three months is not a long time to produce guidance of this importance while consulting far and wide," he said.
"Ministers must listen to the experts and to local campaigners instead of letting the industry decide what goes into the guidance, and they must address the needs of local councils who are still getting new applications in."
The intervention comes amid growing scrutiny of proposals for hyperscale data centres across Scotland, driven by increasing demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
The developments can require substantial amounts of electricity, raising questions about their potential impact on Scotland's energy infrastructure, climate targets and local communities.
The Scottish Government has already introduced measures requiring planning authorities to notify ministers of new data centre applications, alongside environmental impact assessments for developments with a power capacity exceeding 50 megawatts.
However, the forthcoming national guidance is expected to provide further direction on how planning authorities should assess the rapidly expanding sector.
In response to questions from The Herald, a Scottish Government spokesperson confirmed that ministers remained committed to the timetable.
The spokesperson said: "The Scottish Government will be publishing new planning guidance on data centres before the end of the year, and the Minister for Public Finance has already committed to keeping the parliament informed.
"Planning authorities are also now required to notify ministers of new data centre applications, with a new planning direction also requiring an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be submitted during planning for all new data centres with a power capacity exceeding 50 megawatts (MW).
"Data centres represent a rapidly emerging sector and planning has an important role to play in considering applications, harnessing economic opportunities, and finding solutions which align with our climate goals."