Scottish AI Datacentre Drops Renewables Pledge, Will Use National Grid
DataVita's Lanarkshire facility, central to UK AI strategy, will rely entirely on the National Grid despite earlier green energy promises.
A Scottish datacentre company positioned as a cornerstone of the UK's artificial intelligence strategy has quietly walked back its commitment to powering a large development near Glasgow entirely from renewable sources, acknowledging the site will instead draw electricity from the National Grid.
DataVita had publicly stated that its Chapelhall development in Lanarkshire would consume 1 gigawatt of power — a figure comparable to the output of a small nuclear reactor or the United Kingdom's largest wind farm — sourced exclusively from green energy. The pledge formed part of the project's public profile and aligned with broader government efforts to build out AI infrastructure on sustainable terms.
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When pressed by the Guardian, however, the company disclosed that the renewable energy arrangement remained contingent on a range of unresolved conditions, including final commercial agreements, planning approvals, grid connections, and consenting processes. The admission effectively signals that the green energy component of the project is far from guaranteed.
The development underscores a recurring tension in the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure: the enormous electricity demands of large-scale datacentres frequently outpace the availability of verified clean power, forcing developers to rely on conventional grid supply even when sustainability is featured prominently in project announcements. DataVita has not indicated a revised timeline for when, or whether, a renewable energy arrangement could be finalized.
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