Factory's blueprint for electric vehicle battery production abandons progress permanently
In the heart of Northumberland, a new technological venture is on the horizon. Quality Technology Services (QTS), a global data centre provider, plans to build a hyperscale data centre campus on the site of a former coal-fired power plant. This project, valued at $10 billion, was initially intended for a Britishvolt EV battery factory, but the plans were halted in 2022 due to Britishvolt's administration.
The proposed data centre, which could offer 720MW of capacity across ten buildings, has been granted outline planning permission by Northumberland County Council in March 2025. QTS has been engaging with local businesses to support the construction, and further approvals are expected in the coming months.
The private equity firm backing this ambitious project is Blackstone, which acquired QTS in 2021. The company is supporting QTS in its endeavour to develop this large-scale data centre in Northumberland.
The news of the data centre proposal has been met with a sense of caution from the local community, who are eager to support the project's success. Scott Dickinson, a local commenter, has pledged his unwavering support for the initiative, despite expressing disappointment over the abandoned battery factory plans.
Northumberland County Council aims to halve its carbon footprint by 2025 and become carbon neutral by 2030. This context may influence the data centre project's management in terms of environmental impact. However, the energy requirements and potential environmental concerns have not been detailed in the latest updates.
The local community is eagerly awaiting crucial milestones, such as the submission and review of planning applications for the new data centre. The exact size of the hyperscale data centre and the companies potentially involved have not been disclosed.
It's worth noting that the Northumberland County Council is considering buying back the energy park, home to the abandoned Britishvolt project, from Blackstone for up to £110m. However, this information was not mentioned by Scott Dickinson in his comments.
The proposed battery factory was expected to create 3,000 highly-skilled jobs and another 5,000 indirect jobs in the wider supply chain. The collapse of Britishvolt at the beginning of 2023 resulted in more than 200 job losses. The potential job creation from the data centre has not been specified in the latest updates.
As the project progresses, the local community and QTS continue to work together to ensure the success of the new data centre endeavour, while keeping a close eye on its potential impact on the environment and the local economy. The council is set to meet on 23 April to discuss the plans in more detail.
The housing of the proposed data center, a project valued at $10 billion by Quality Technology Services (QTS), presents an opportunity for the local community in Northumberland, potentially bringing jobs and growth to the industry. The community's enthusiasm for the project is mixed, with some expressing eagerness for its success while also keeping a watchful eye on its potential financial, technological, and environmental impact, as the council works towards carbon neutrality by 2030.
