A major UK artificial intelligence development has revised its energy plans, with datacentre company DataVita admitting that its Lanarkshire AI datacentre will be entirely served by the National Grid rather than direct private renewable energy sources.
DataVita had previously promised that the Chapelhall development near Glasgow would draw one gigawatt of green energy from dedicated private wire connections, matching the output of a small nuclear reactor or Britain’s largest windfarm. However, following inquiries by the Guardian, the company quietly revised its proposals, stating that the facilities will now be fully grid served, with solar and wind farms potentially connecting in the future.
Revising the Lanarkshire AI Datacentre Energy Plans
The project, which is intended to transform the economy of the village of Chapelhall outside Airdrie and bring 3,400 jobs by building a 500-megawatt datacentre, is a key component of the UK’s broader technology strategy. DataVita currently receives £202m of public money in the form of wealth guarantees from Britain’s national wealth fund.
A DataVita spokesperson stated that the company’s commitment to renewable energy remains unchanged, explaining that the datacentres are designed to be grid served through a renewable power purchase agreement. This marks a shift from earlier announcements which claimed that over one gigawatt of capacity, including wind, solar, and battery storage, would be delivered through direct private wire connections.
Industry Reaction and Wider Strategy Implications
Kat Jones, director of the Edinburgh-based charity Action to Protect Rural Scotland, criticized the shift as emblematic of hyperbolic claims made by developers. She noted that hyperscale facilities require highly reliable grid power and cannot run on renewable power alone.
The development highlights ongoing challenges facing Britain’s strategy to build massive AI datacentres across designated zones with incentives and expedited planning. With high energy costs in Britain compared to Europe and long waiting times for grid connections, major technology investments face increasing scrutiny over their power supply capabilities.
Source: Lanarkshire AI datacentre to fully rely on National Grid despite renewables claim (source-feed timestamp 2026-11-07T10:00:08+00:00). AI-assisted report based on the cited linked article and its RSS feed; details were not independently verified.
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