technology
Scottish AI datacentre project shifts from on-site renewables to grid connection
An £8.2 billion AI datacentre complex in Lanarkshire announced in January will connect to the national grid rather than rely solely on on-site renewables. Internal documents show the government and developers privately noted power provision issues while publicly stating up to 1GW of new energy infrastructure.
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An £8.2 billion AI datacentre complex planned for Lanarkshire will connect to the national grid instead of operating entirely on on-site renewables, according to internal documents obtained by The Guardian. The project was announced in January by the government, which stated it would be built by 2030 and powered by on-site renewables.
The development involves the U.S. firm CoreWeave and the Scottish company DataVita.
Power plans and internal records Documents obtained through freedom of information requests show that government officials and developers privately acknowledged an "issue" with "power provision" even as they publicly described plans for up to 1GW of new energy infrastructure.
A government spokesperson said the site would connect to the grid and that its energy needs would still be met "overwhelmingly" with renewables.
Developer claims and land requirements DataVita states on its website that the site will receive more than 1GW of renewable energy, including 400MW of solar and 800MW of wind power. The company currently operates two smaller datacentres drawing roughly 25MW from the grid.
Analysis by The Guardian, based on figures from Action to Protect Rural Scotland, indicates the stated renewable plans would require between 40 and 100 square kilometres of land. Planning applications on file cover roughly 2 square kilometres. The energy consultant who reviewed the figures said moving from current conditions to the country's largest operational onshore windfarm in four years is ambitious, and the 2030 deadline is unlikely to be met without further planning approvals.
