England
Reserved mattersCambois data-centre campus
Northumberland
Official committee material covers the first two buildings. Capacity and operation remain unverified.
Open official evidenceAuthority Intelligence · UK data centresPage updated 27 August 2026
Official evidence outlook · not a delivery forecast
UK Data Centre Outlook 2026
A clear view of what public evidence actually shows about capacity, environmental permitting, power pressure and substantial projects across the UK—and what the data still cannot prove.
Forecast status
Data expansion required
The commercially useful 2030 operational-MW forecast is not yet scientifically supportable.
The market in four verified facts
1.6 GW
Estimated colocation IT load
Great Britain · autumn 2024 · DSIT
65
Explicit data-centre permit records
England · 2015–27 Aug 2026 · Environment Agency
3,126 MW
Connection pipeline in study
NGED licence areas · November 2025
10
Selected primary-source projects
Across four nations · not a complete population
These numbers are deliberately not added together. They use different geographies and definitions.
England regulatory signal
Environmental permission activity rose sharply in 2025.
Authority found 65 unique Environment Agency permission numbers that explicitly name a data centre in the operator or site address. The chart stops at the last complete calendar year. It measures regulation—not construction or delivered capacity.
Selected project evidence
One official example from each UK nation
These examples prove that substantial projects can be monitored from public evidence. They do not represent the complete UK pipeline, and their stages are not directly comparable.
Scotland
Environmental assessment requiredWester Hermiston campus
Edinburgh
An EIA direction is an early planning milestone, not approval or delivery.
Open official evidenceWales
Planning evidence publishedVantage Bridgend campus
Former Ford Engine Plant
Council documents describe the first building, wider campus and staged power route.
Open official evidenceNorthern Ireland
Post-permission conditionsAtlantic Hub data centre
Derry
A regulator record confirms the parent permission while requiring further construction-environment detail.
Open official evidenceThe forecast we should eventually publish
How much of the UK’s publicly announced data-centre MW will be operational by 31 December 2030?
What exists
A reproducible source audit, a 65-record English permit signal and an initial four-nation official watchlist.
What is missing
A complete historical population linking announced capacity to verified operation, cancellation or unresolved status.
Publication rule
No Authority probability or expected-MW number until the untouched historical test beats the locked frontier comparator and passes uncertainty.
Evidence coverage
What every source does—and does not—cover
| Source | Geography | Includes | Excludes | Evidence date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSIT Great Britain capacity estimate | Great Britain | Estimated colocation IT load across 11 regions | Northern Ireland and enterprise-only data centres | Autumn 2024 |
| Environment Agency installations register | England | Industrial permission records explicitly naming a data centre | Sites outside England and facilities not captured by this permit regime | Downloaded 27 August 2026 |
| National Grid Electricity Distribution study | NGED licence areas | Connection enquiries, offers and accepted projects in the study pipeline | Other network areas and proof of operational IT capacity | November 2025 |
| Selected official project evidence | All four UK nations | Ten substantial named examples with a direct primary source | Any claim that this is the complete UK project population | 27 August 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
UK data-centre evidence, explained
How much data-centre capacity does Great Britain have?
The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology estimated 1.6 GW of colocation IT load across Great Britain in autumn 2024. The estimate excludes Northern Ireland and enterprise-only facilities, so it is not a complete UK total.
Is this a forecast of UK data-centre delivery?
No. It is an official-evidence outlook. Authority has not yet built a complete historical population linking announced megawatts to verified operational megawatts, so a delivery forecast remains blocked.
What do the 65 English permit records measure?
They are Environment Agency industrial permission records whose operator name or site address explicitly says data centre or data center. They measure regulatory activity, not new construction, grid connection, IT load or operation.
Why are the four UK nations not ranked?
Their public sources cover different things and different time periods. Ranking them would turn unequal source coverage into a misleading market comparison.