UK approves £7.5bn AI data centre campus at Elsham Tech Park
Elsham Tech Park AI data centre aims for 1GW computing capacity.
Plans for one of the UK’s largest AI data centre campuses have been approved in North Lincolnshire, denoting a significant investment in digital infrastructure.
The project, known as Elsham Tech Park, will be developed near Elsham Wolds Industrial Estate on the site of the former RAF Elsham Wolds airfield. The development is expected to deliver more than 1.5 million square metres of hyperscale data centre floorspace across 15 data halls, with an estimated construction cost of around £7.5 billion.
If fully developed, the campus could provide up to 1GW (1,000MW) of computing capacity, placing it among the largest proposed AI data centre facilities in the UK. The project is being led by Elsham Tech Park Ltd, a company created for the development and overseen by infrastructure developer Greystoke.
The proposed campus would cover approximately 176 hectares (435 acres) and include an on-site energy centre capable of generating up to 49.9MW of electricity. Plans also include battery storage facilities, substations, district heating infrastructure, and additional commercial space.
The masterplan incorporates a greenhouse complex that reuses excess heat from the data centre servers to support agricultural production. Developers say this approach could improve energy efficiency by enabling greenhouse cultivation using waste heat generated by computing infrastructure.
Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the first phase of the campus scheduled to open in 2029. The development timeline covers roughly ten years.
During construction, the project could support between 2,600 and 3,600 full-time equivalent jobs annually across on-site and supply chain roles. Once operational, the facility is expected to create around 900 long-term skilled jobs.
North Lincolnshire Council said the project could attract up to £10 billion in investment and strengthen the region’s role in the country’s growing AI and cloud computing infrastructure sector.
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