Could a huge data centre revitalise Ayrshire - or ruin it?

Source: BBC Technology

Overview

ILI Group are seeking to build a data centre in Hurlford, near HMP Kilmarnock. The site is currently a large, unassuming patch of farmland in East Ayrshire, but it could become one of the largest artificial‑intelligence data centres on Earth.

• About 100 ha (250 acres) of land near HMP Kilmarnock has been earmarked for a technology hub by energy firm ILI Group.
• ILI says the development would be similar in size to the prison, while the vast majority of the land would be set aside for biodiversity and landscaping.

Supporters argue the project could revitalise the region, bringing new jobs and investment that would be ploughed back into the community. Opponents, however, are concerned about the impact on the wider area and have voiced strong local opposition.

Some opponents have contacted BBC Your Voice and say the firm has not provided concrete details about a building that would dominate Hurlford for decades to come.

In recent years a string of applications for data centres has been made across Scotland. The group Action to Protect Rural Scotland estimates 17 are at various stages of the planning process.

Last autumn, Intelligent Land Investments (ILI) – a company with a background in clean‑energy development and battery‑storage projects – announced ambitious plans for a data‑cluster called the Stoics, spread across sites in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Fife.

• The company has secured land rights, permission to use the local electrical grid and is now beginning the planning process with local councils.
• The cluster would be “more than twice the size of many of today’s leading campuses”, comprising various buildings, an on‑site electrical sub‑station and wild‑flower areas.

For some Hurlford residents, the announcement of the facility – called Rufus – prompted many questions.

Lisa Beacham’s concerns

Lisa Beacham, a Hurlford student, became aware of the proposal – which ILI stresses is still at a very early stage – shortly after the initial announcement. She then investigated the amount of water that would be needed for coolant, the process that stops the computer chips from overheating.

“The site proposal is that it would be powered at 540 MW, which would require millions of litres of water a day,” she said.
“Water is a global commodity and we are currently facing global water bankruptcy, according to the UN. Yet we’d have a site that uses a huge amount, and due to residue from the centre the water used there cannot easily be recirculated.”

ILI Group’s response

The company says the plans are at a very early stage. A spokesperson explained that part of the surge in data‑centre proposals in Scotland is due to the nation’s cooler climate, which is well‑suited to keeping data centres running:

“Water use for a data centre in Scotland is significantly less than somewhere like the deserts of California, and cooling may only be required perhaps as little as 2 % of the time.
“It is possible, therefore, that all the water needs for the project could be met by harvesting rainwater on‑site.”

The spokesperson added that ILI is currently investigating a variety of technical solutions regarding water usage at the site.

Expert view

Alex De Vries, who runs the Digiconomist blog, estimates a 540 MW facility could consume almost 6 bn litres of fresh water annually to generate the required power. He told BBC Scotland News:

“The relatively cooler climate in Scotland isn’t going to do much to mitigate this.”

Greig Templeton’s perspective

Greig Templeton believes the proposal would benefit the local community. ILI, however, remains bullish about the plans.

The company recently held the first of three consultations in the region at a Kilmarnock hotel, yards from the local football team’s Rugby Park ground. Views among attendees were mixed:

• One couple told BBC Scotland News that East Ayrshire needs investment, and anything that could create local jobs would be welcomed.
• Another man said he wasn’t thrilled about data centres in general, but acknowledged that they represent the future and that Ayrshire could benefit.

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Result

Greig Templeton of ILI was among staff speaking to locals as they visited. He said the company’s plans would be a positive for the whole area.

“ILI have a track record of bringing in community benefits,” he argued, pointing to the Red John hydropump storage project in the Highlands, which has been bought by Norwegian company Statkraft.
”By the time we moved the project on to them, we had committed to the community. That has involved things like a community fund, setting up a water taxi, and installing walkways around the area. These are benefits that came from speaking to people in the area about what is needed.”

Chery Rowland questioned whether the plan would involve upskilling local people for jobs. A common theme among participants is the importance of creating more jobs in Ayrshire.

Templeton estimates that about 120 to 150 roles could be created via the data centre, ranging from security and cleaning positions to specialised tech posts.

Cheryl Rowland, an admin assistant at a construction company who lives in Hurlford, is sceptical. Speaking at the consultation event, she said:

“They are talking about something that will be here for 40 or 50 years.
Would they arrange education upskilling, to bring local people through and help them grow into jobs here, or will the jobs all be people coming into the area?”

ILI said it hopes to boost Scotland’s economy by “tens of billions of pounds in private investment” via the cluster. When asked by BBC Scotland News, the company said there was interest from private companies, but no confirmed funding yet. Rowland worries that such a large site could be built by a company that may not remain long‑term.

Lisa Beacham has other concerns as well. Templeton notes the proposal is still at an early stage and that ILI is conducting its own assessment, consulting Scottish Water and SEPA. An EIA may follow.

“Our assessment is quite detailed, it’s maybe not written in the formal terms of the EIA but we will look at all of the aspects,” he said.

For Beacham, however, the lack of detail in a proposal that would permanently transform the area is unsettling. After leaving the consultation event on an overcast February evening, she added:

“Do they have the substance for what they’re proposing?
They don’t have experience building data centres and I feel they’re underselling it all – both the actual development itself and the impact it will have on Ayrshire. Because once it’s built, that’s it – it’ll be here for decades.”