DataVita’s Lanarkshire AI datacentre will rely entirely on grid power

DataVita has revised its plans for an AI datacentre development near Chapelhall, Lanarkshire, which will now be supplied by the National Grid rather than directly by renewable energy projects. The change matters because the project was presented as a major part of the UK’s AI strategy and had been promoted on the basis of a substantial renewable power supply.

The proposed development is a 500MW datacentre that DataVita said could bring 3,400 jobs, and the company has £202m in public wealth guarantees. It previously said more than 1GW of wind, solar and battery capacity would connect directly to the site; it now says grid supply will be covered by a renewable power purchase agreement, with possible wind and solar connections in future. A rural protection charity said the shift reflected unrealistic claims about powering hyperscale datacentres solely with renewables.