Data Centre Watch

Latest

5 entries matching · showing 1–5

1. 3 Oct 2026 Updated 13 Oct UK Wokingham, Berkshire 72 MW Submitted

   Thames Valley Park 72MW submitted — gas-backed

   Now formally submitted (applicant FH Trustees, acting for Mapeley's Beta HL unit trust, Jersey-registered), the 72MW scheme replaces three former Microsoft buildings near Reading and relies on natural-gas fuel cells as a bridge: only 1.8MW of grid power is available at first, the larger connection is backstopped to 2037, and even then only ~60MW of the site's ~110MW peak is secured. Microsoft vacates the offices by Dec 2027; comments close 29 Oct (ref 262274). The technical plan also proposes exporting waste heat to a future district heating network serving the Royal Berkshire Hospital, the University of Reading and local schools; a decision is expected by March 2027.

   Why it matters: 'Green' data centres running on fossil gas for years, because the grid can't deliver in time.

   Source: Planning Geek [V]

   Changes (3)

   1. 13 Oct 2026 — Added the waste-heat-to-district-heating plan (Royal Berkshire Hospital, University of Reading, schools) and the expected March 2027 decision.
   2. 12 Oct 2026 — Confirmed formal submission (FH Trustees for Mapeley's Beta HL unit trust); wired in the fuel-cell bridge and the 2037 grid backstop.
   3. 3 Oct 2026 — First filed.
2. 7 Oct 2026 Updated 13 Oct UK Kidlington, Oxfordshire Submitted

   Exeter College's £900m 'EXOq' campus heads to a decision

   A £900m data centre and innovation campus beside Oxford Parkway, funded by Exeter College, goes to Cherwell District Council in early November — pitched for AI and quantum research on the Oxford–Cambridge growth corridor. The decision awaits the council's independent golf-need report, the third such survey attached to the application.

   Why it matters: Universities and colleges are becoming data-centre backers, on the government's 'Europe's Silicon Valley' corridor.

   Source: Cherwell [C]

   Changes (2)

   1. 13 Oct 2026 — Decision now expected in early November, after the council's independent golf-need report.
   2. 7 Oct 2026 — First filed.
3. 30 Sep 2026 UK Buckinghamshire 100 MW Submitted

   ACRE's Pinewood scheme to run on gas for a decade-plus

   A ~£570m data centre at Pinewood Nurseries would lean on on-site gas engines while it anticipates a minimum 10-year wait for a firm grid connection. Stoke Poges Parish Council objected over air quality, carbon and noise.

   Why it matters: Gas becomes the default when grid capacity can't arrive on the project's timeline.

   Source: Briefs [V]

4. 30 Sep 2026 UK Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland 1000 MW Submitted

   £16.5bn / 1GW Chapelcross campus lodged

   CX Tech's application for eight data centres on the former Chapelcross nuclear site (application 26/1649/PIP) claims up to 1GW and 162,000 m². APRS says it would be larger than any operating data centre; the Scottish Greens call it 'reckless'.

   Why it matters: The biggest proposed array in the UK, pitched as brownfield renewal — and disputed as farmland.

   Source: BBC / STV News [V]

5. 29 Sep 2026 UK Slough, Berkshire 216 MW Submitted

   Three more data centres planned on Slough green belt

   Manor Farm Propco wants three data centres (216MW, 141 backup generators) on 23.5 ha of green belt beside the scheme the government approved on appeal. Comment closes 20 Oct; a resident petition has passed 776 signatures.

   Why it matters: Green belt reclassified as 'grey belt' — the loophole that lets farmland become data halls.

   Source: Slough Borough Council / Slough Daily [V]