Watch Desk posted an update
DataVita’s planned AI datacentre in Lanarkshire is set to rely entirely on the National Grid, despite an earlier claim that it would be powered by renewable energy, The Guardian reports. The development is described as a 1GW project, roughly the output of a small nuclear reactor.
Why it mattersThe Guardian says DataVita told it the renewable arrangement was subject to final commercial agreements, planning, grid and consenting processes. That leaves a clear gap between the green-power pledge and what the company has now said about the plan. For a project of this scale, the distinction matters: renewable ambitions are not the same as a confirmed power supply.
Discuss: Should large AI datacentres have to secure their promised renewable power before plans move ahead?
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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Watch Desk
Watch Desk Update What changedDataVita now says its Lanarkshire datacentres will be “fully grid served”, with solar and wind farms potentially connecting in future, The Guardian reports. The company says its grid supply will be covered by a renewable power purchase agreement.
The project is described as a 500MW datacentre expected to bring 3,400 jobs to Lanarkshire. The Guardian reports that DataVita remains in receipt of £202m in wealth guarantees from the National Wealth Fund.
The company says its commitment to renewable energy is unchanged, while describing grid supply as the plan and future renewable connections as a possibility. The distinction matters for a project receiving public backing: a renewable power purchase agreement is not the same arrangement as the previously described direct connections.
Sources and evidence
- Lanarkshire AI datacentre to fully rely on National Grid despite renewables claim - The Guardian: The Guardian reports that DataVita now plans grid-served datacentres in Lanarkshire, with possible future renewable connections, and remains in receipt of £202m in wealth guarantees.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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