Southside Data Centre Economic Benefits
Investment that the Borders has earned
Rural economies often possess significant natural assets but face structural limitations regarding long-term, highly skilled career opportunities. While the Scottish Borders has excellent natural resources, digital connectivity, and energy potential, converting these assets into lasting regional wealth requires large-scale infrastructure investment.
The proposed Southside Data Centre represents a long-term, independently verified capital investment designed to anchor economic benefits directly within the region and across Scotland as a whole.
Key economic projections
Investment in the Scottish economy
Permanent direct jobs created
Jobs supported across Scotland
Construction jobs during the build phase
Annual boost to the Scottish economy (£12 million retained locally in the Borders)
Estimated tax revenues generated over 15 years
Data is sourced from the preliminary BiGGAR Economics report: Economic and Wider Impacts of Southside (forming part of the Environmental Impact Assessment). Note: Because final operational impacts vary depending on the final technical configuration and server profile of the data centre, we have deliberately reported the lower-bound estimates for all economic and employment figures to ensure conservative projections.
Long-term employment impact
When fully operational, the facility represents a capital investment of £1.6 to £2.4 billion. Over a 15-year period, modeling estimates that the data centre will catalyse an additional £47 million in localised economic activity within the Scottish Borders area.
The creation of well in excess of 100 permanent, high-skilled technical and operational roles represents a significant addition to the regional labour market. In rural areas where specialised technology positions are historically limited, these roles provide long-term career stability for local residents.
Because of the scale and technical requirements of the facility, these positions are tied directly to the physical infrastructure. A data centre requires continuous on-site technical operations, engineering, facilities management, and security.
Additionally, the multi-year construction phase will support approximately 1,000 jobs. This provides sustained contracts for regional tradespeople, civil engineers, landscape specialists, and logistics providers, creating a positive knock-on effect for local hospitality and supply chains throughout the build.
Supporting local public services
Local authorities face ongoing fiscal pressures to maintain public infrastructure and services across expansive, geographically dispersed regions. Funding for schools, roads, social care, and community facilities relies heavily on a robust local tax base.
Approximately one-third of the £776 million in total projected tax revenues over 15 years will consist of non-domestic rates. This revenue will be payable directly to the Scottish Borders Council, providing a reliable, long-term revenue stream to help fund essential regional services.
Community wealth building
The economic strategy for Southside is designed to actively involve the communities closest to the development site. The project team is committed to implementing community wealth building initiatives that ensure a portion of the project’s economic value directly benefits local groups and supply chains.
The specific frameworks for these initiatives are currently being designed in collaboration with regional stakeholders and local communities, and the finalised plans will be published ahead of the formal planning application.
Want to make sure these benefits reach your community?
The details of the community wealth commitments will be developed in dialogue with local people. The consultation process is your opportunity to shape how those commitments take form. Find out how to get involved.