Plans announced to resurrect former steelworks as a ‘green’ data center

Ravenscraig was Scotland’s largest steelworks before closing in 1992, but now it could be set for a new lease of life as a green AI data center.

Proposals put forward as part of the UK government’s AI Growth Zone scheme will see the site create more than 2,000 jobs alongside an estimated £3.9 billion in capital investment.

The drive to transform the site is being led by Edinburgh and York-based renewable energy developer, Apatura. Under the plans, the Ravenscraig development will include battery energy storage spanning 160 acres and powered by 550 megawatts of grid connections, which are due to come online by 2030.

Ravenscraig is one of five ‘AI-ready’ sites Apatura is currently working on across Scotland’s Central Belt. The company said it aims to harness the country’s “growing supply of renewables”, drawing on wind and solar generation.

“This proposal plays strongly to Scotland’s strengths - in green energy, in AI, in education and in skills - and would complement the country’s significant capabilities in big data and research,” said Apatura CEO Giles Hanglin.

“We’ve secured the land and grid, and we’re already working closely with relevant organizations locally and nationally to make sure the benefits are widely felt.”

Apatura put forward Ravenscraig as a candidate for the government’s AI Growth Zone initiative last month, and it is now under consideration by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT).

Hanglin said its selection as an AI Growth Zone would be a “significant endorsement” of Scotland’s digital sector and help position the country as a “powerhouse of green, AI-enabled digital infrastructure”.

The rise of green data centers

Green data centers have become a key talking point over the last two years, particularly amidst growing concerns about infrastructure energy consumption in the wake of the generative AI boom.

As ITPro previously reported, being a truly green data center is about more than just renewable energy sources. Indeed, these sites aim to improve sustainability across the breadth of operations.

This includes a strong focus on e-waste management, for example, spanning the decommissioning of servers, networking equipment, and assorted hardware.

Energy efficiency and water management are equally important considerations for green data centers, with operators making great strides toward lower power usage and reducing the volume of water consumed in cooling processes.

The UK is now home to a range of green data centers. In October last year, for example, colocation and managed services firm DSM Group opened a sustainability-focused data center in Peterborough.

The site draws upon renewable energy, including a 200kW solar farm, alongside cutting-edge cooling technology.

There is growing pressure on government and industry to increase investment in renewable energy sources and green data centers.

A recent study from Oxford-based Aurora Energy Research called for greater strategic collaboration between government and industry to compensate for rising data center power demands across the country.

Analysis by the firm found that closer ties could unlock billions of pounds in low-carbon power investment, but also support around 5 GW of green data center growth over the next decade.

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