Planning pipeline · data as of 18 Oct 2026

Scotland’s Data Centre Map and Tracker

Large data centre proposals in Scotland, from pre-application notices to live planning applications and appeals, plus the sites already operating. Each entry shows its council planning record, where one exists, and its other sources by type, so every claim can be checked against more than one publisher.

How sources are graded: 37 of 47 entries corroborated ↓

Sites

Map: Natural Earth

OperatingUnder constructionApplication lodgedRefused / appealPre-applicationAnnouncedGrid queue onlyStalled

Circle area scales with MW. Hollow rings have no published capacity. Positions are approximate (town or estate level).

Proposed, in progress and stalled

Schemes from first announcement through to a lodged application, plus those under construction, refused or stalled. Most are large AI campuses still at pre-application, and together they would add many times today's operating capacity.

Operating

Data centres running in Scotland today, mostly colocation, bank and research sites in the Central Belt, Aberdeen and Dundee. Most are small; the largest, DataVita DV1 at Chapelhall, is about 24MW.

Planning and policy timeline

How sources are graded

Each entry lists every source we used, labelled by who published it. An entry counts as corroborated when at least two different publishers report it and at least one of them is not a campaign group or a commercial directory.

GovernmentScottish or UK Government, Parliament, the planning appeals division (DPEA), NESO

CouncilLocal authority planning portal records, news or committee papers. Planning records were searched on each council's portal for "data centre" on 18 Oct 2026.

NoticeStatutory planning notices published in local papers

OperatorThe operator's or developer's own website or press release

NewsNewspapers, broadcasters and trade press

CampaignCampaign groups and petitions, including the APRS tracker

DirectoryCommercial data centre listings and property agents

Some news sites block automated link checks, but every link here was found through search and checked on 18 Oct 2026; none returned "not found".

Angus

Edzell grid connection

Not disclosed

Grid queue onlyNeeds corroboration800 MWVery large

Where it standsNeeds corroboration

Grid queue only
Proposal notice
Application
Decision
Built

Only a grid connection application exists. No project has been announced and nothing is in planning.

Have your say · council applicationNothing in planning yet.How to have your say

Size800 MWVery large20% of Scotland's winter peak demand

SurroundingsNot assessed: no application site to measure from yet.

Public responseNo public comments published yet.

How the flags work

Red: nearest building within 100 m, 10% or more of the site in a flood zone, or a designation overlapping the site. Amber: building within 500 m, any flood-zone overlap, or a designation within 500 m. Green: none of these. Measured from the council's application site; buildings from OpenStreetMap, flood zones from SEPA, designations from NatureScot and Historic Environment Scotland.

Overview

Gate 2 grid application to the new Brechin substation. NESO confirms 28 data centres totalling 8.86GW are seeking connection in Scotland but does not name sites.

Planning

This is a grid connection application only. There is no planning activity on the council portal.

Site location: no planning application yet, so there is no application site to map. The position shown is approximate.

Council Angus Council: no data centre application near Edzell or Brechin. Searched 18 Oct 2026.

Search the Angus planning portal for the latest documents, consultee responses and public comments.

Sources

CampaignData centre map and table (updated 13 Aug 2026) · APRS

Context only, not counted as corroboration:

GovernmentNESO follow-up letter to the Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee · NESO via Scottish Parliament

Map: Natural Earth

Position is approximate (town or estate level). Other tracked sites nearby are shown and open their own page. OpenStreetMap · Google Maps

Stage: Grid queue only
Capacity: 800 MW
Size band: Very large (250 to 999 MW)
20% of Scotland's winter peak demand
?
Electricity: It would use 5.3–7.0 TWh a year, from typical use to full capacity: as much electricity as 1.53–2.05 million Scottish homes (60–80% of Scotland's homes), or 24–32% of all the electricity Scotland uses. That is 41–54% of what every business, factory and public building in Scotland uses, and 1.3–1.7 times the electricity used by every electric train in Britain. ?
For balance: Scotland generated 51.8 TWh in 2024, more than twice the 21.7 TWh it used, and in 2025 about 8.8 TWh of wind in northern Scotland was switched off because the grid could not carry it. Developers argue data centres could use power that is now wasted. Whether a site would depends on where it connects: most switched-off wind is in the north, most proposals are in the Central Belt, and data centres need power on calm days too. Scottish Government The Energyst (Montel analysis)
Developer: Not disclosed
Location: near Brechin
Council: Angus
Latest: Grid queue
Coordinates: 56.8100, -2.6500 (approx.)