A £2 billion AI data centre is planned for the Lammermuir Hills. Before anything is approved, Borders people deserve straight answers about who benefits and who pays.
What’s happening
- The scheme: a 225-megawatt data centre on Roxburghe Estates land in Berwickshire, promoted by Sunlaws Development Company.
- The timetable: environmental studies are under way, with a planning application expected in late 2026 or early 2027. Because it is over 50MW, Scottish ministers must be notified.
- The claims: the developer says 145 permanent jobs and up to 1,000 during construction, powered mainly by nearby renewable generation with closed-loop cooling.
- The opposition: local campaigners, Save the Lammermuirs, oppose it because of its impact on the landscape.
Why it matters
AI data centres use vast amounts of electricity and, often, water. Running at full power, a 225MW site would use many times more electricity than every home in the Borders put together. Schemes like this drive demand for more pylons, substations and grid connections across the Borders, the same infrastructure communities are already fighting.
Our position
The burden of proof is on the developer. We will judge the scheme on:
- Energy: how much power it uses, where it comes from, and whether it pushes up demand for new pylons across the Borders.
- Water: how much it uses, from where, and in dry summers.
- Landscape: the impact on the Lammermuirs and their wildlife.
- Jobs: how many jobs will really go to local people, and how many are permanent.
- Benefit: whether its waste heat, profits and community payments benefit Borders communities.
No public subsidy, and no nodding it through for a headline figure.
