Revealed: landmark Scottish AI project has no prospect of meeting renewables promise

An £8.2bn AI datacentre project in Lanarkshire, Scotland, has misrepresented its ability to power itself entirely from on-site renewables, a Guardian investigation has found, raising doubts over the viability of a flagship UK artificial intelligence growth zone [1]. The development, a joint venture between US firm CoreWeave and Scottish company DataVita, was announced in January with a promise of up to 1GW of “new energy infrastructure” built by 2030 [1]. However, documents obtained through freedom of information requests and analysis of public records show the site has no realistic prospect of meeting that target [1]. Internal correspondence reveals that even as the public commitment was made, officials and developers privately acknowledged an “issue” with “power provision” [1]. In response to questions, the government said the complex would connect to the grid, meaning it will either join an eight- to ten-year queue or be expedited ahead of hundreds of other projects [1]. DataVita claims it will supply the site with more than 1GW of renewable energy, including 400MW of solar and 800MW of wind — roughly the power needed for 800,000 Scottish homes [1]. The company’s website describes “energy parks” that are “directly connected” to its datacentres [1]. Yet the firm currently operates two much smaller facilities drawing roughly 25MW from the grid and did not respond to an inquiry about any currently installed renewables [1]. Analysis by the charity Action to Protect Rural Scotland (APRS), reviewed by an energy consultant, suggests DataVita’s stated plans would require between 40 and 100 sq km of land [1]. Its planning applications on file cover roughly 2 sq km, while the company claims to have “over 1,000 acres”, or 4 sq km [1]. Kat Jones, director of APRS, said: “There is a wave of applications for hyperscale AI datacentres coming to Scotland and they all say they’re going to use renewable energy. We have examined DataVita’s plans to build renewables to power their 500MW datacentre and found them wanting” [1]. HfD Group, DataVita’s parent company, recently posted plans for an “energy park” with up to 19 wind turbines, which would provide about 5% of the claimed generation [1]. DataVita said delivery of its energy commitments was “subject to final commercial agreements, planning, grid and consenting processes” [1]. The Lanarkshire site is one of five AI growth zones designated by the UK government to receive broad support for building vast datacentre parks [1]. Applicants were required to show an allotted grid connection or an alternative “behind-the-meter” solution [1]. The Guardian established through a freedom of information inquiry to the National Energy System Operator that the site did not have the necessary grid connection [1]. In February, Scotland’s first minister, John Swinney, wrote to DataVita’s managing director, Danny Quinn, stating: “I recognise that power provision remains a key issue and we will continue to engage with the UK government and relevant partners to secure timely grid connections” [1]. Cecilia Rikap, an associate professor at University College London, said: “Governments around the world, including in the UK, are making political promises that ignore the realities of building infrastructure” [1]. An analyst for a UK engineering consultancy who has advised several AI growth zone projects described the figures behind many schemes as “at best indicative, and at worst complete bunk” [1]. The consultant added that the government’s apparent willingness to later help DataVita obtain a grid connection showed it was “willing to loosen their own criteria to meet the arbitrary political timescales they set themselves” [1].