Frequently Asked Questions For Southside Data Centre

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Frequently Asked Questions

Data underpins everything we do in the digital age, helping us search the internet, pay bills and carry out transactions. Data allows people to maintain contact through digital channels, develop relationships – both business and personal. Fast access to data is vital for business and research, and the more we use digital services the more data is generated, and all this information needs to be kept somewhere secure. With Artificial Intelligence developing at a staggering pace, more data storage is required to support this.

Data centres house the computer servers where the data is stored, managed and analysed, and they are essential for the smooth operations of organisations of all kinds, from public services and university and medical research centres to charities and businesses, facilitating a wide variety of services.

At an estimated investment of £1.6 to £2.4 billion, if constructed the proposed development would be by far the biggest single infrastructure investment in the Scottish Borders, and would represent a major contribution to Scotland’s future sustainable digital economy. With a capacity of circa 225MW, it will be amongst the larger single data centres in the UK.

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.

Data centres typically require a significant amount of power. In this location, this demand can be satisfied through direct access to over 230MW of green energy provided by nearby windfarms and Battery Energy Storage Systems. In addition, the average air temperature in the area is approximately three degrees lower than at other UK data centre sites. This directly lowers the energy consumption and increases the cooling efficiency of the data centre.

The surrounding rolling moorland setting allows the development to be absorbed in the landscape, yet the site which is currently dominated by heavily grazed improved grass fields hold little ecological or biodiversity value by comparison to surrounding areas. Through a programme of rewetting areas adjacent to the site by blocking field drains and turning areas of improved grassland back into wild wet moorland, the development seeks to more than compensate any possible loss of biodiversity. The full Environmental Impact Assessment will help to shape these activities to create a net gain for biodiversity.

Sunlaws Development Company aims to propose a sustainably designed data centre that sits comfortably within the surrounding landscape and community.  Whilst plans are currently only at the concept stage; environmental and technical assessments, in association with feedback from Community Consultations, will contribute to the development of a design once work begins on a planning application proposal.

Whilst data centres do generate a substantial amount of heat, the design at Southside will use a closed loop cooling system, similar to central heating systems and refrigerators. This closed-loop system means that there is no requirement to constantly feed fresh water into the system. Furthermore, the design team are working to design an on-site rainwater recovery system combined with filtration systems, to allow rainwater to be recycled for onsite use. No connection to the local water supplies is proposed for this development.

As little as possible for a development of this scale. The concept design of the site and buildings aims to utilise and enhance a natural bowl in the landscape to minimise its visual impact. These concept studies are exploring the use of natural building materials and a green roof to help the buildings blend into the landscape when viewed from a distance and provide a natural, sympathetic development up close. In addition, a significant parcel of land has been set aside within the development boundary for a conservation area, to enhance the landscape and the biodiversity of the site.

It is envisaged that the proposed Southside Data Centre would be connected to the main 400kV grid at Fallago Rig substation, which offers an extremely reliable backup connection. However, data centres require local backup generation to ensure complete security of supply. It is therefore envisaged that gas powered backup generators may be required, to operate if local renewable generation and the 400kV grid were to fail. Most data centres have diesel powered backup generators which leads to large volumes of diesel stored on site and supply lorry movements. The Southside data centre location enables connection to the existing natural gas infrastructure, removing the need for onsite diesel storage.

Sunlaws Development Company believes that not enough new jobs are being created in the rural countryside of the Scottish Borders. With this in mind, creating renewable energy infrastructure provides a positive development, however this proposed development unlocks further opportunities to add value for local communities through the creation of a greater number of skilled, permanent jobs. Rather than simply exporting the renewable energy generated in the Lammermuirs, the vision is to use this energy to contribute to the development of the digital economy through a data centre development.

The data centre project is currently at concept design and Environmental Impact Assessment stage, ahead of the formulation of a planning application. To help guide the concept design in a way that maximises local community benefit from the outset, Sunlaws Development Company has, and will continue to engage with members of the local community, the Scottish Borders Council and South of Scotland Enterprise.

The total development area is currently 151 hectares (ha), of which the data centre buildings make up approximately 5 to 6% of the area. There are:

  • 63 ha of potential access routes*
  • 13 ha of ancillary  infrastructure, site roads and parking 
  • 15 ha of screening and landscaping
  • 52 ha of biodiversity enhancement, drainage

* ‎four access routes are being assessed, only one primary route is necessary for the development with a secondary “backup” for emergency services. Thus this area will significantly decrease once the assessments are completed ahead of a Planning Application being formulated.

As the public consultation and exhibitions progress this section will be updated to include commonly asked questions.

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