Developers are pushing ahead with plans for a multi-billion-pound data centre and AI campus at Blackdog, north of Aberdeen.

Plans would see the site transformed into a multi-gigawatt campus, positioning the north-east as a major hub for global digital infrastructure powered by offshore wind.

Around 200 acres of land, including a former Ministry of Defence firing range, would be developed, beginning with an initial 600 megawatts of renewable and grid-connected power.

Backing comes from Ashfield Land and data centre specialist TechRE, with the project designed to attract major international investment.

The scheme could support 1,000 construction jobs, 100 permanent high-skilled roles, and up to 2,000 indirect positions if delivered at full scale, alongside billions of pounds of potential private investment.

Industry estimates suggest each gigawatt of data centre capacity could require more than £10 billion to develop.

Blackdog’s data centre future?

Planning permission in principal was granted by Aberdeenshire Council in 2017 which allows development on the site  for business and industrial uses.

Ashfield Land and data centre specialist TechRE believe plans for the multi-billion pound data centre would align with these conditions.

Detailed planning permission for the development has yet to be submitted to the local authority.

A direct link to the offshore wind pipeline close to Blackdog is central to the plans, including ScotWind and INTOG developments.

Private-wire connections could be used to bring renewable power straight into the site.

Earlier plans for a retail and leisure development at Blackdog were dropped after becoming undeliverable following the downturn in the sector following Covid.

Elements of the wider masterplan – including housing – are still being taken forward separately.

Developers have since expanded the site from around 64 acres to 200 acres and repositioned it to focus on large-scale energy and digital infrastructure as demand for AI computing accelerates.

Power hungry data centre to run on wind

Steven McGarva, managing director of  Ashfield Land,  said the Blackdog scheme is the kind of generational investment the north-east needs.

“After a tough few years for Aberdeen and the wider region, this project would deliver billions of pounds of investment and create scores of high-value jobs, helping to deliver a just transition for the region’s oil and gas workforce,” he said.

“Given that data centres are, by their very nature, power hungry, Blackdog is also inextricably linked to Scotland’s renewable energy rollout.

“We’ve spent years assembling the land and securing the planning foundations to make this vision viable.”

Henry Sutton, director of TechRE said Blackdog could be one of the biggest AI data centre projects in the UK.

“It has access to three gigawatts of renewably generated wind energy, significant grid connections and the ability to bring international subsea cables straight to its door,” he said.

“This unique mix makes it attractive to the world’s biggest AI names looking to develop large data centre campuses that are well connected globally, have lots of redundant power available, and a desire to utilise renewable energy.

“This is also an excellent opportunity for the north-east to take a lead in converting skilled workers from oil and gas industries to future-proofed digital infrastructure and AI jobs.”

North-east has a competitive edge

Jennifer Craw, chief executive of Opportunity North East, said global demand for AI infrastructure is increasingly constrained by access to large-scale green energy

She added that the north-east has a “genuine competitive edge”.

“We have direct access to offshore wind, backed by decades of engineering expertise and an energy system built for delivery,” she said.

Discussions are under way between developers and offshore wind interests about how Blackdog could be directly linked into Scotland’s floating wind pipeline.

This includes a potential connection to Cerulean Winds’ Aspen project in the Central North Sea.

Laura Jarvie, head of Scotland at Cerulean, said: “Any offshore wind project of this scale requires stable long-term offtakers to underpin the investment case.

“As one of the UK’s first floating wind projects, Aspen will supply power to the grid for homes and communities, decarbonise oil and gas platforms and as the project scales up provide private wire power to other industrial users.

“AI data centres like Blackdog provide exactly that opportunity.”

A recent survey by True North Advisors and Diffley Partnership shows strong local backing for a green data centre, industrial and energy park at Blackdog.

62% of people polled across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are in favour of the proposed development, 31% unsure or undecided and 7% opposed.

 

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