Modern Scot has begun mapping Scotland’s proposed, planned and possible data centre sites alongside the grid infrastructure that may make them possible. This first working map covers all 32 council areas and separates named projects from opportunity sites and councils where no public facing data centre proposal has yet been identified.
Scotland’s data centre debate is no longer a single planning dispute in Fife, Edinburgh, North Lanarkshire or the Borders. It is becoming a national infrastructure question.
Across Scotland, data centre proposals, pre application consultations, investment opportunity sites and grid upgrades are beginning to form a new map of land, electricity, water, planning and control. Some projects are already in or near the planning system. Some are named by developers or campaign groups. Others are public sector or investment opportunity sites, meaning they have been identified as potentially suitable for data centre development but are not necessarily live applications.
This article is therefore a first public working map rather than a final register of approved developments.
The purpose is simple: to help Scotland see what is being discussed, where the pressure points are, which councils are already affected, and where the public record still needs closer checking.
Working map: Scotland data centre proposals and grid projects Data centre confidence:
green = planning/application directly reported;
amber = campaign/developer/trade source, needs portal verification;
red = potential / unknown / speculative / capacity uncertain.
Coordinates are approximate.
Action to Protect Rural Scotland says it has mapped hyperscale data centre projects being planned in Scotland, including information on capacity, planning stage and developers. The Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland and APRS have also reported that data centres in or near the Scottish planning system could create electricity demand on a scale comparable with, or greater than, Scotland’s existing peak winter electricity demand. Those figures are campaign and research calculations and should be tested site by site against planning documents, grid connection records and environmental material.
At the same time, Scotland’s electricity transmission system is being rebuilt. SSEN Transmission says its Pathway to 2030 programme includes new overhead lines, substations and subsea links across the north of Scotland, while major east coast subsea power links are planned to move renewable electricity between Scotland and England.
Seen together, the data centre map and the grid map raise a larger public question. Scotland is being asked to consider individual data centre applications, separate grid reinforcements and local planning decisions. But as a whole, these projects point towards a new industrial geography of power.
How to read this working map
Modern Scot has used three working confidence labels:
- Planning evidence identified: a planning reference, EIA screening, PAN, application or other planning process has been identified from public sources.
- Named project, needs verification: a project is named by a campaign, developer, trade or public source, but Modern Scot has not yet checked the full council planning file.
- Opportunity site: a site appears in public investment or site selection material as potentially suitable for data centre development, but this does not mean there is a live planning application.
- No public facing proposal identified in this pass: no named data centre project has yet been found in the public facing sources checked for this first working pass.
Council by council working map
| Council | What has been identified | Status | Modern Scot note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | No specific Aberdeen City data centre proposal has been identified in this first pass. The main Aberdeen area project appears to be Blackdog, which falls in Aberdeenshire. | No public facing proposal identified in this pass | Aberdeen City should remain on the watch list because of its energy, ports, subsea and digital economy role, but no named city application has yet been identified from the sources checked. |
| Aberdeenshire | Blackdog AI and data centre campus. APRS lists “Aberdeen, Blackdog” with Ashfield Land and TechRE, described as multi gigawatt starting at 600MW. The Host in Scotland material also identifies Blackdog and Thainstone Business Park as data centre opportunity sites. | Named project, needs planning file verification | This is one of the largest north east entries. Should continue to check Aberdeenshire Council planning references, decision notices, water, cooling, traffic and grid documents. |
| Angus | No named data centre proposal has been identified in this first pass. | No public facing proposal identified in this pass | Angus should still be watched because grid and substation development in eastern Scotland may change future opportunity assessments. |
| Argyll and Bute | Killean AI Growth Centre, also described in public campaign material as involving Argyll Development and SambaNova. APRS lists possible scaling from 100MW to 600MW and potentially higher. ERCS and APRS note uncertainty over whether the data centre itself has clear permission or funding. | Named project, needs planning and funding verification | The Killean entry needs careful checking. Building permission, data centre permission and financial backing should not be treated as the same thing. |
| City of Edinburgh | South Gyle data centre, listed by APRS with Shelborn Drummond Ltd and a capacity of 212.42MW. ERCS and APRS identify planning reference 25/04239/PPP. | Planning evidence identified | South Gyle is one of the clearest city entries and should be checked against Edinburgh planning documents, including backup power, emissions and traffic material. |
| City of Edinburgh | Wester Hermiston AI data centre, listed by APRS with Apatura and a capacity of 200MW. ERCS and APRS identify EIA screening and PAN references 25/02924/SCR and 25/03978/PAN. | Planning evidence identified | This is a major west Edinburgh case and should be compared with grid capacity, water and heat reuse claims. |
| City of Edinburgh | Edinburgh BioQuarter appears in Host in Scotland site selection material as a possible data centre or digital infrastructure opportunity site. | Opportunity site | This should not be described as a live hyperscale proposal unless a planning application is found. |
| Clackmannanshire | No named data centre proposal has been identified in this first pass. | No public facing proposal identified in this pass | No live public facing data centre proposal has yet been found from the main sources checked. |
| Dumfries and Galloway | Chapelcross is listed by APRS with Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and CX Power at 1,000MW, but not yet in planning or pre planning according to APRS. | Named project, not yet in planning according to public campaign material | Chapelcross is one of the most important watch list sites because of its former nuclear and grid context, should treat it as not yet a planning application unless council documents confirm otherwise. |
| Dumfries and Galloway | Castle Kennedy Airfield, Peelhouses Farm near Lockerbie and UWS Dumfries Campus appear in Host in Scotland longlist material as possible opportunity sites. | Opportunity sites | These should be listed as opportunity sites only unless active applications are found. |
| Dundee City | Claverhouse Industrial Estate appears in Host in Scotland longlist material as a possible data centre development site. | Opportunity site | No live hyperscale planning application has been identified in this first pass. |
| East Ayrshire | Hurlford, also referred to as Rufus Data Centre Campus. APRS lists ILI Group at 540MW. ERCS and APRS identify pre application reference 25/0008/PREAPP. | Planning evidence identified | This is a major live watch site and part of the ILI Stoics cluster alongside Fife and North Lanarkshire. |
| East Ayrshire | Ochiltree, also referred to as Creoch data centre. APRS lists Apatura at 200MW. ERCS and APRS identify EIA screening reference 25/0003/EIASCR. | Planning evidence identified | Needs full environmental screening document review. |
| East Dunbartonshire | Westerhill, Bishopbriggs data centre. APRS lists Apatura at 300MW and describes pre application consultation activity. | Named project, needs planning file verification | This should be checked through East Dunbartonshire planning material for PAN, EIA and consultation records. |
| East Lothian | Dunbar data centre. APRS lists Thistle Sands Data Limited. Capacity is not stated, but the site is described as very large, at 62.5 hectares. | Named project, needs planning file verification | Land take and local environmental impact should be the first checks. |
| East Lothian | Cockenzie. APRS lists East Lothian Council and Sustainable Development Capital LLP, with capacity unknown and not in planning or pre planning. | Named possibility, not yet planning according to public campaign material | Cockenzie should be treated as a watch list site linked to energy and industrial redevelopment, not as an active application unless planning documents are found. |
| East Renfrewshire | No named data centre proposal has been identified in this first pass. | No public facing proposal identified in this pass | No live public facing data centre proposal has yet been found from the main sources checked. |
| Falkirk | Glenbervie Business Park, Stenhousemuir. APRS lists Apatura at 300MW. Host in Scotland also identifies Glenbervie Business Park as a potential data centre site. | Named project, needs planning file verification | Needs council planning portal check for exact status. |
| Fife | Auchtertool, also known as Cato Data Centre Campus. APRS lists ILI Group at 600MW. ERCS and APRS identify EIA screening and PAN references 25/00552/PAN and 25/03079/SCR. ILI describes Cato as part of its three site Stoics network. | Planning evidence identified | This is the most visible current public flashpoint. It should be reviewed for power demand, land, water, grid, construction impact, EIA status and local objections. |
| Fife | Longannet Power Station appears in Host in Scotland material as a possible opportunity site. | Opportunity site | This should not be treated as a live hyperscale proposal unless planning material is found. |
| Glasgow City | Hillington Park, Glasgow, appears in Host in Scotland material as a possible data centre opportunity site. | Opportunity site | No live Glasgow City hyperscale proposal has been identified in this first pass. |
| Highland | Invest Highland lists Dounreay, MeyGen and Fearn Airfield and surrounding land as investment opportunities including data centre use. | Opportunity sites | Highland is an important opportunity geography, especially where energy, land and former industrial or defence sites meet. These should not be described as live applications unless planning documents exist. |
| Highland | Host in Scotland material also identifies Ardersier Port, Forss Business and Energy Park, Fort William Hydro Site and Carr Corners, Highland Deephaven Industrial Estate, Inverness Airport Business Park, Inverness Campus, Kinlochleven and Norfrost Business Park as possible data centre sites. | Opportunity sites | This is a long opportunity list, not a list of applications. The public interest is that Highland is being actively marketed or assessed as suitable for data centre development. |
| Inverclyde | Greenock IBM site. APRS lists Slate Islands Development, with capacity unknown. | Named project, needs planning file verification | Needs Inverclyde planning check, ownership check and site status review. |
| Midlothian | No named data centre proposal has been identified in this first pass. | No public facing proposal identified in this pass | No live public facing data centre proposal has yet been found from the main sources checked. |
| Moray | Forres Enterprise Park and Miltown Airport, Lossiemouth, appear in Host in Scotland material as possible opportunity sites. | Opportunity sites | No live hyperscale application has been identified in this first pass. |
| Na h Eileanan Siar | No named data centre proposal has been identified in this first pass. | No public facing proposal identified in this pass | The Western Isles are grid relevant because of transmission connection issues, but no named data centre site has yet been found in the public facing sources checked. |
| North Ayrshire | Hunterston data centre. APRS lists Eneus Energy Limited, with capacity unknown, and notes an on site BESS of 450MW. | Named project, needs planning file verification | Hunterston is an important energy and industrial site. Battery storage, grid and ownership details should be checked. |
| North Ayrshire | Irvine. APRS lists AI Pathfinder at 1,000MW, not in planning or pre planning yet. | Named possibility, not yet planning according to public campaign material | Treat as a watch list site, not an application. |
| North Ayrshire | Tournament Park, Irvine, appears in Host in Scotland material as a possible opportunity site. | Opportunity site | Opportunity only unless planning material is found. |
| North Lanarkshire | Ravenscraig west. APRS lists Apatura at 550MW. ERCS and APRS identify EIA screening and PAN references 25/00556/EIASCR and 25/00838/PAN. | Planning evidence identified | One of the strongest planning system entries and part of the major North Lanarkshire cluster. |
| North Lanarkshire | Drumshangie, Greengairs. APRS lists Apatura at 500MW. ERCS and APRS identify pre planning reference 24/01025/PAN. | Planning evidence identified | Needs full PAN and environmental material review. |
| North Lanarkshire | Newhouse, also known as Aurelius. APRS lists ILI Group at 400MW. ERCS and APRS identify pre application reference 25/00989/PAN. ILI says Aurelius forms part of its Stoics network. | Planning evidence identified | Part of the same wider ILI network as Cato in Fife and Rufus in East Ayrshire. |
| North Lanarkshire | DataVita Fortis extension. APRS lists DataVita at 40MW. ERCS and APRS identify planning application reference 25/00150/FUL. | Planning evidence identified | Smaller than the hyperscale entries but still relevant because it is a live named data centre development. |
| North Lanarkshire | DataVita South Lanridge / HFD Renewables NL. APRS lists 500MW. | Named project, needs planning file verification | Needs planning portal and company verification. |
| North Lanarkshire | EuroCentral, Gartcosh Business Gateway and Maxim Business Park appear in Host in Scotland material as possible opportunity sites. | Opportunity sites | North Lanarkshire is one of the most important Scottish data centre geographies in this first pass. |
| Orkney Islands | No named data centre proposal has been identified in this first pass. | No public facing proposal identified in this pass | Orkney is grid relevant because of transmission connection work, but no public facing data centre site has yet been identified from the sources checked. |
| Perth and Kinross | Perth Eco Innovation Park appears in Host in Scotland material as a possible data centre site. | Opportunity site | No live hyperscale proposal has been identified in this first pass. |
| Renfrewshire | No named data centre proposal has been identified in this first pass. | No public facing proposal identified in this pass | No live public facing data centre proposal has yet been found from the main sources checked. |
| Scottish Borders | Coldstream, also referred to as Apatura Borders. APRS lists Apatura at 300MW. ERCS and APRS identify EIA screening reference 25/00556/SCR. | Planning evidence identified | Needs full environmental screening and local consultation review. |
| Scottish Borders | Duns, Roxburghe Estate. APRS lists Sunlaws Development Company at 225MW, described as three buildings of 75MW. | Named project, needs planning file verification | This is a second major Borders site and should be checked for land, grid, visual and water impacts. |
| Shetland Islands | Sullom Voe appears in Host in Scotland material as a possible long term data centre opportunity site. | Opportunity site | The report notes long term industrial and power context, but no live data centre proposal has been identified in this first pass. |
| South Ayrshire | No named data centre proposal has been identified in this first pass. | No public facing proposal identified in this pass | No live public facing data centre proposal has yet been found from the main sources checked. |
| South Lanarkshire | Haspielaw. APRS lists Apatura, with capacity not stated. ERCS and APRS identify EIA screening reference P/25/0490. | Planning evidence identified | Needs South Lanarkshire planning portal review. |
| Stirling | Bandeath Industrial Park and Kildean Business Park appear in Host in Scotland material as possible opportunity sites. | Opportunity sites | No live hyperscale proposal has been identified in this first pass. |
| West Dunbartonshire | No named data centre proposal has been identified in this first pass. | No public facing proposal identified in this pass | No live public facing data centre proposal has yet been found from the main sources checked. |
| West Lothian | Freeport / West Calder. APRS lists Apatura at 250MW, with pre application consultation. ERCS and APRS also list Free Port West Lothian at 250MW. | Named project, needs planning file verification | West Lothian should be watched closely because of its central location and grid relevance. |
| West Lothian | Delta M8 Distribution Park, Eliburn and former Freeport Leisure Village appear in Host in Scotland material as possible opportunity sites. | Opportunity sites | Opportunity only unless planning documents are found. |
The councils with the strongest current evidence
On this first pass, the strongest current evidence clusters appear in North Lanarkshire, City of Edinburgh, East Ayrshire, Fife, Scottish Borders, West Lothian, South Lanarkshire, East Dunbartonshire, North Ayrshire, Argyll and Bute, Aberdeenshire and Highland.
North Lanarkshire is the densest cluster found so far, with Ravenscraig, Drumshangie, Newhouse / Aurelius, DataVita Fortis, South Lanridge and several opportunity sites. Edinburgh has South Gyle and Wester Hermiston. East Ayrshire has Hurlford / Rufus and Ochiltree / Creoch. Fife has the highly visible Auchtertool / Cato proposal. Scottish Borders has Coldstream and Duns. Highland has a long list of opportunity sites, even though this first pass has not identified a live hyperscale planning application.
The councils where no named project has yet been identified
In this first pass, no named public facing data centre proposal has yet been identified for Aberdeen City, Angus, Clackmannanshire, East Renfrewshire, Midlothian, Na h Eileanan Siar, Orkney Islands, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire.
This does not mean there will never be proposals in those areas. It only means that Modern Scot has not yet identified a named project in the main public sources checked for this working article. Some councils may still be affected by wider grid routes, substations, renewable generation, battery storage, fibre routes or future development pressure.
The grid layer beneath the map
The data centre map cannot be understood without the grid map. Map Note: Grid routes shown here are indicative working lines, not engineering route drawings. Subsea links may include landfall points, converter stations and onshore cable sections. Lines are used to show the public facing project connection between areas, not the exact physical cable route.
SSEN Transmission says its Pathway to 2030 programme is intended to upgrade the transmission network across the north of Scotland, including new overhead lines, substations and subsea links. SSEN says the work is needed to connect renewable generation and move power across the wider British electricity system.
Eastern Green Link 2 is a planned 2GW high voltage direct current subsea electricity link between Peterhead in Aberdeenshire and Drax in North Yorkshire. Eastern Green Link 1 links Torness in East Lothian with County Durham. Eastern Green Link 4 is planned to connect Fife with Norfolk. These are not data centre projects, but they matter because they are part of the same changing electricity geography.
In central Scotland, SP Energy Networks has set out work including the Denny to Wishaw Network Upgrade and other reinforcements intended to increase transfer capacity. In the islands and north west, the Western Isles connection, Orkney transmission work and Skye reinforcement all form part of the wider energy infrastructure picture.
For communities, the question is not only whether a data centre is approved in their council area. It is whether land, water, roads, substations, overhead lines, converter stations, battery storage and grid corridors are being planned separately while serving a connected industrial shift.
Underlying grid: council by council working map
This working grid layer is designed to sit beneath the data centre map. It records the major public facing transmission projects, substations, subsea links and reinforcement corridors identified in this first pass. Where no named strategic grid project has yet been identified for a council, the council is still listed rather than skipped.
The table distinguishes named strategic transmission projects from councils where only indirect relevance, local connection questions or no public facing strategic grid project has yet been identified. It should be treated as a working research layer, not as a final engineering register.
| Council | What has been identified | Status | Modern Scot note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | Peterhead, Persley to Kintore upgrade affects the north east grid serving Aberdeen; SSEN describes strengthening the grid around Aberdeen and upgrading existing transmission lines from 275kV to 400kV, including works linked to Persley and Peterhead/Kintore. | Named strategic transmission upgrade nearby / partly relevant | No single new Aberdeen City data centre grid connection is identified here, but the city sits within a north east transmission reinforcement area that matters to power movement from Peterhead, Kintore and offshore generation. |
| Aberdeenshire | Peterhead is a major node for Eastern Green Link 2 and Eastern Green Link 3; SSEN’s East Coast work also includes Peterhead, Kintore, Fiddes and Tealing, with new 400kV infrastructure, substations and subsea links. Beyond 2030 also lists New Deer, Netherton Hub to Peterhead, Peterhead Persley to Kintore, and Blackhillock Cairnford to Kintore. | Major strategic transmission cluster | Aberdeenshire is one of the most important grid geographies in the country for this map. It links offshore generation, Peterhead converter infrastructure, Kintore, New Deer and subsea export routes. |
| Angus | Tealing is central to SSEN’s East Coast 400kV Phase 2 work. SSEN describes a Kintore to Tealing 400kV overhead line connection, Emmock 400kV substation near Tealing, Alyth to Tealing reconductoring and Tealing to Westfield/Glenrothes reconductoring. | Major east coast transmission reinforcement | Angus is a key east coast grid area even where a data centre proposal is not yet named. Tealing is a strategic connection point in the north to central Scotland power route. |
| Argyll and Bute | No named major 2030 or Beyond 2030 strategic electricity transmission project has been identified in this first public facing pass for Argyll and Bute. | No named strategic grid project identified in this pass | This does not mean Argyll and Bute has no grid constraints or local infrastructure work. It means no named national scale transmission project was identified from the main sources checked for this working grid underlay. |
| City of Edinburgh | No named major strategic transmission upgrade has been identified within Edinburgh in this first pass. Edinburgh remains relevant as a demand area and because of nearby East Lothian and Fife transmission projects. | No named strategic grid project identified in this pass | For Edinburgh data centre cases, the next stage is to read the specific planning documents for electricity demand, grid connection point and any substation works rather than assuming a city wide transmission project. |
| Clackmannanshire | Kincardine North Substation and associated overhead line works are listed by SP Energy Networks as part of its Scottish transmission investment programme; the wider Tealing to Kincardine Upgrade Project also affects the electricity corridor around Kincardine, Longannet and central Scotland. | Named SP Energy Networks investment area / needs local route check | Clackmannanshire should be watched because of its proximity to Kincardine and Longannet, but project footprints should be checked against SPEN maps before assigning specific local impact. |
| Dumfries and Galloway | Kendoon to Tongland Reinforcement. SP Energy Networks describes works between Polquhanity, Kendoon, Glenlee, Carsfad, Earlstoun and Tongland involving new 132kV overhead lines and reinforcement. | Named reinforcement project | This is the clearest south west grid project in the working layer and should be mapped against the Chapelcross data centre watch list and wider energy redevelopment in the region. |
| Dundee City | No named major strategic transmission upgrade has been identified within Dundee City in this first pass. The nearest strong public grid cluster is the Tealing and east coast reinforcement area in Angus. | No named strategic grid project identified in this pass | Dundee may be indirectly affected by east coast grid capacity and demand, but this table does not identify a named Dundee City transmission project from the main sources checked. |
| East Ayrshire | No named major national strategic transmission project has been identified in this first pass for East Ayrshire, despite data centre proposals appearing in the council area. | No named strategic grid project identified in this pass | For Hurlford/Rufus and Ochiltree/Creoch, the next stage is to inspect planning documents for the proposed connection point, substation works and any reinforcement required. |
| East Dunbartonshire | No named major strategic transmission project has been identified in this first public facing pass for East Dunbartonshire. | No named strategic grid project identified in this pass | The Westerhill/Bishopbriggs data centre entry should be checked for its own grid connection details in planning and pre application documents. |
| East Lothian | Eastern Green Link 1. EGL1 is a 2GW HVDC connection between Torness in East Lothian and Hawthorn Pit in County Durham. The project includes converter infrastructure at the Scottish end. | Major HVDC subsea link / converter site | East Lothian is a strategic export point in the new grid geography. This matters when assessing nearby industrial and digital demand even where the project itself is not a data centre. |
| East Renfrewshire | No named major strategic transmission project has been identified in this first public facing pass for East Renfrewshire. | No named strategic grid project identified in this pass | No major public facing grid underlay item has yet been assigned to this council from the main sources checked. |
| Falkirk | Denny to Wishaw Network Upgrade includes a new proposed 400kV overhead line between Bonnybridge and an existing overhead line north of Glenmavis, plus substation works and uprating. Kincardine/Longannet related works are also relevant around the Forth energy corridor. | Named strategic transmission upgrade | Falkirk sits in the central belt grid reinforcement corridor. The Denny to Wishaw route and nearby Kincardine/Longannet works are central to the map of power movement between north, central and southern Scotland. |
| Fife | Eastern Green Link 4 is planned to connect Fife with Norfolk. Ofgem also describes the Tealing to Kincardine Upgrade Project, including 400kV substations at Westfield and Mossmorran, a new 400kV AIS substation at Conland/Glenrothes, work at Devonside and upgrading the existing Tealing to Longannet 275kV line for 400kV operation. | Major HVDC link and 400kV reinforcement cluster | Fife is one of the clearest overlaps between data centre planning pressure and strategic grid works. Cato/Auchtertool should be read alongside EGL4 and Tealing to Kincardine works. |
| Glasgow City | Ofgem describes Denny to Wishaw works including reconductoring and uprating existing overhead line routes between Easterhouse, Newarthill and Wishaw. Easterhouse places Glasgow within the central belt reinforcement picture. | Named route element in wider reinforcement | Glasgow’s role in this first pass is not a new data centre grid project, but part of a wider reinforcement corridor affecting the west central belt. |
| Highland | Spittal to Loch Buidhe to Beauly 400kV connection; Beauly to Peterhead corridor; Dounreay to Spittal Beyond 2030 project; Skye reinforcement; and mainland links associated with Western Isles and north Scotland transmission. SSEN says Pathway to 2030 includes new overhead lines, substations and subsea links across the north of Scotland. | Major north Scotland transmission cluster | Highland is one of the central grid geographies. The public interest is not only local data centres but whether Highland land, substations, converter sites and corridors become the backbone for exporting and moving power. |
| Inverclyde | No named major strategic transmission project has been identified in this first public facing pass for Inverclyde. | No named strategic grid project identified in this pass | Inverclyde has a named data centre watch item in the separate data centre table, but the specific grid connection and reinforcement position still needs to be checked through planning and operator material. |
| Midlothian | No named major strategic transmission project has been identified in this first public facing pass for Midlothian. | No named strategic grid project identified in this pass | Midlothian may still be affected by wider demand and network constraints, but no named strategic grid project has been assigned from the sources checked. |
| Moray | Blackhillock, Cairnford to Kintore Beyond 2030 project. SSEN describes extensions at Blackhillock and Kintore, a new substation near Cairnford and around 51km of new 400kV overhead line between Blackhillock and Kintore, with partial removal of existing 275kV overhead line. | Named Beyond 2030 strategic upgrade | Moray is part of the north east transmission bottleneck relief and 400kV upgrade story, especially around Blackhillock and the route toward Kintore. |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | Western Isles HVDC Link Project. SSEN describes the Western Isles connection as using HVDC technology and refers to a 1.8GW rating requiring two cables. | Named HVDC island connection | The Western Isles entry is a grid connection story rather than a named data centre project in this pass. It matters because island generation and transmission capacity are part of the national power map. |
| North Ayrshire | No new named strategic transmission project has been assigned in this first pass, although Hunterston and existing energy infrastructure make the council important to the wider electricity geography. | No named new strategic grid project identified in this pass | Because Hunterston appears in the data centre watch list, the next work is to examine project specific grid and battery storage documents rather than assume a national transmission project. |
| North Lanarkshire | Denny to Wishaw Network Upgrade. Ofgem describes works at Wishaw and Bonnybridge and reconductoring/uprating existing routes between Easterhouse, Newarthill and Wishaw. This places North Lanarkshire directly in the central belt reinforcement corridor. | Named strategic transmission upgrade | North Lanarkshire has the densest data centre cluster in the companion table and also sits inside a named grid reinforcement corridor. This is a priority council for the combined map. |
| Orkney Islands | Orkney transmission connection. Public reporting and SSEN project material identify work to connect Orkney to the national transmission system, with the islands relevant to north Scotland renewable generation and grid capacity. | Named island transmission connection | Orkney has no named data centre proposal in this first pass, but it is part of the island and northern grid expansion picture. |
| Perth and Kinross | Alyth to Tealing reconductoring is part of the SSEN East Coast 400kV Phase 2 scheme, with upgrade to 400kV capability and connection into the new Tealing 400kV site. | Named east coast reinforcement element | Perth and Kinross is relevant because of Alyth and the route into Tealing. This is a corridor and transmission capacity issue rather than a named data centre project in the council. |
| Renfrewshire | No named major strategic transmission project has been identified in this first public facing pass for Renfrewshire. | No named strategic grid project identified in this pass | The data centre table separately notes a possible Inchinnan grid connection watch item from campaign material, but this grid underlay does not identify a confirmed national transmission project here. |
| Scottish Borders | Cross Border Connection. SP Energy Networks describes a new double circuit 400kV overhead line from Gala North substation to Teviot substation, construction of Teviot substation and a new 400kV overhead line from Teviot to the border. | Named cross border transmission project | The Borders are central to the southbound transmission route. This should be mapped alongside Coldstream and Duns data centre entries from the companion table. |
| Shetland Islands | Shetland HVDC Link 2. SSEN’s Beyond 2030 material lists a second HVDC link between Shetland and mainland Scotland, with converter stations and substations in Shetland and Aberdeenshire and expected completion in 2035. | Named Beyond 2030 HVDC link | Shetland is a major grid geography even without a named data centre proposal in this first pass. The issue is island generation, resilience and subsea connection to the GB network. |
| South Ayrshire | No named major strategic transmission project has been identified in this first public facing pass for South Ayrshire. | No named strategic grid project identified in this pass | No major public facing grid underlay item has yet been assigned to this council from the main sources checked. |
| South Lanarkshire | Denny to Wishaw Network Upgrade includes Wishaw and the Easterhouse, Newarthill and Wishaw route elements. South Lanarkshire is also near the southbound grid geography connecting the central belt to the border system. | Named strategic transmission upgrade | South Lanarkshire matters because of Haspielaw in the data centre watch list and its position in central belt reinforcement. |
| Stirling | No named major strategic transmission project has been identified in this first pass for Stirling, although it lies close to the Denny/Falkirk reinforcement geography and central Scotland grid routes. | No named strategic grid project identified in this pass | Stirling should be kept on the watch list because of proximity to central belt reinforcement, but no named major public facing project has been assigned here yet. |
| West Dunbartonshire | No named major strategic transmission project has been identified in this first public facing pass for West Dunbartonshire. | No named strategic grid project identified in this pass | No major public facing grid underlay item has yet been assigned to this council from the main sources checked. |
| West Lothian | No named major strategic transmission project has been identified in this first pass for West Lothian, despite the data centre watch list identifying Freeport / West Calder and several opportunity sites. | No named strategic grid project identified in this pass | The next step is project specific grid connection verification for the West Lothian data centre entries rather than assuming a named national transmission project. |
- Action to Protect Rural Scotland: Data Centre Map
- Action to Protect Rural Scotland: Data Centres Campaign
- Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland: Data centres in the Scottish planning system
- Scottish Government digital connectivity material: Long list of datacentre site development report
- FarrPoint: Host in Scotland report identifies data centre opportunities
- Invest Highland: Data centre investment opportunities
- SSEN Transmission: Pathway to 2030 projects
- SSEN Transmission: Eastern Green Link 2
- Eastern Green Link 1
- SP Energy Networks: Eastern Green Link 4
- SP Energy Networks: Denny to Wishaw Network Upgrade
