CX Tech has submitted plans for a 1GW data centre campus at Chapelcross in southern Scotland. The project could represent around £16.5 billion of investment.
The campus would have 162,000m² of data centre floorspace across eight buildings, plus supporting infrastructure, a training centre and industrial space. It would be built in phases over about eight years. If construction starts in 2027, the campus would be fully operational by 2035. The project is expected to support 750 construction jobs and 450 permanent roles once complete.
Power and sustainability
The site can use existing 132kV electrical infrastructure, and southern Scotland has potential renewable generation nearby. SP Energy Networks recently completed a £19 million refurbishment of a nearby transmission line. CX Tech is exploring private-wire connections to wind, solar and biomass generation, alongside grid supply and energy storage.
The developer is targeting a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.30 or better and plans to use closed-loop, non-evaporative air cooling. Each building’s annual water use is estimated to equal that of four homes. CX Tech aims to run the campus at net zero through renewable electricity and efficiency measures.
Tighter scrutiny
Scotland now requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for any new data centre above 50MW, and CX Tech has already completed an extensive EIA for Chapelcross. The proposal still faces local opposition over its scale, power demand and environmental impact.
Chief Executive Graeme Anderson said the aim is to build an infrastructure platform that keeps pace with the needs of AI, cloud and high-performance computing, and gives major operators the scale to deploy and expand.
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