Cato AI data centre, Auchtertool

Key facts

Status

Decision pending (application submitted) ^{[S1] [S2] [S3] [S8]}

Decided by

Fife Council (Scottish Ministers have directed that an EIA is required) ^{[S1] [S2]}

Applicant

ILI Cato Limited ^{[S5] [S6]}

Developer or backer

ILI Group (Intelligent Land Investments); part of its 'Stoics' data centre network

References

26/01243/PPP; 25/00552/PAN; 25/03079/SCR

Location

Agricultural land north-west of Auchtertool village, north of Camilla Road, Gleniston, adjacent to the Mossmorran industrial complex; Hallyards (Camilla) Castle ruins lie within the site ^{[S4] [S5] [S6]}

IT capacity

600MW ^{[S6] [S9]}

Site area

25 ha ^{[S6] [S9]}

Buildings

Up to seven buildings plus on-site substation, up to 35m tall ^{[S6] [S9]}

Investment (claimed)

GBP5bn (claimed by developer) ^{[S6] [S9]}

Cooling and water

Estimated annual water demand 34,000 cubic metres (as reported by Data Centre Review; originator of figure not clear) ^[S7]

Designations

Auchtertool Linn Local Wildlife Site (partly on site); Camilla Loch SSSI (nearby); Firth of Forth SPA and Loch Leven SPA (in proximity); Hallyards Castle ruins on site (HES declined to designate); Flood storage area on site (SEPA concern) ^{[S1] [S5] [S8] [S10]}

Previous use

Farmland ^{[S1] [S5] [S8] [S10]}

Environmental assessment

Council screening 1 April 2026: no EIA. Scottish Ministers' direction of 17 August 2026: EIA required; applicant to be asked to submit an EIA Report, then further consultation. ^{[S1] [S5] [S8] [S10]}

Public objections

1200 ^{[S7] [S9] [S12]}

Timeline

1. 22 March 2025
   Proposal of application notice 25/00552/PAN agreed (APRS) ^[S4]
2. 10 November 2025
   EIA screening request 25/03079/SCR submitted ^{[S4] [S5]}
3. 1 April 2026
   Fife Council issues screening opinion: no EIA required ^{[S4] [S5]}
4. 3 June 2026
   Planning permission in principle application 26/01243/PPP reported filed (DCD article date) ^[S6]
5. 1 July 2026
   Historic Environment Scotland response reported (village website); HES declined to schedule Hallyards Castle because proposals are at an advanced stage ^{[S13] [S10]}
6. 16 July 2026
   SEPA lodges holding objection on flood risk (Herald report dated 16 July; Fife Today 17 July) ^[S8]
7. 24 July 2026
   Public comment deadline (one village page also cites 2 July: see conflicts) ^{[S7] [S13]}
8. 17 August 2026
   Scottish Ministers issue EIA direction; Fife Council announces it ^{[S1] [S2]}
9. 4 September 2026
   Campaigners demonstrate at Scottish Parliament; Deputy First Minister declines a moratorium ^[S12]
10. 16 September 2026
    Scottish Parliament votes that no hyperscale planning decisions be made until national guidance is complete ^[S14]
11. 17 September 2026
    Ministers' EIA direction for all data centres over 50MW comes into force ^[S15]

Statutory consultees

Politicians and organisations

• Mark Ruskell MSP (Scottish Greens) called the no-EIA screening 'unfathomable'
• David Torrance MSP (Kirkcaldy) joined Parliament demonstration
• Auchtertool Community Council (called proposal 'ill-conceived and inappropriate'; asked Environmental Rights Centre Scotland about a legal challenge)
• Auchtertool Action Group
• APRS

Claims

Claims by developers, campaigners or councils, recorded as claims and not checked as fact.

• ILI Group (as reported by Data Centre Review) (developer): GBP5bn investment; about 120 permanent skilled jobs; GBP105m Fife construction GVA ^{[S6] [S7]}
• APRS and petition author (campaigners): Would use 4,000-4,200 GWh a year, about 20% of Scotland's total energy consumption ^{[S4] [S11]}
• ILI Group (as reported) (developer): Will fully excavate and archaeologically record Hallyards Castle before construction ^[S10]

Campaigns

• Stop the proposed AI data centre near Auchtertool, Fife (10,605 signatures)
• Say No to Cato
• Auchtertool Community Council data centre page
• APRS Auchtertool page

Sources

1. [S1] Environmental Impact Assessment required for proposed Auchtertool data centre. Fife Council, 17 August 2026. Level 1 source.
2. [S2] Data centre planning direction. Scottish Government, 17 August 2026. Level 1 source.
3. [S3] Scottish Government decision on Fife AI data centre will mean delay. Fife Today, 18 August 2026. Level 4 source.
4. [S4] ILI Cato, Auchtertool, Fife site page (last verified 23 February 2026). APRS. Level 6 source.
5. [S5] Report on the EIA scoping for Auchtertool. APRS, 12 June 2026. Level 6 source.
6. [S6] ILI files to develop 600MW Stoic data center in Fife, Scotland. DatacenterDynamics, 3 June 2026. Level 5 source.
7. [S7] More than 1,200 objections lodged against 5bn Fife data centre. Data Centre Review, 24 July 2026. Level 5 source.
8. [S8] SEPA joins list of over 1000 objections to giant AI data centre in Fife village. Fife Today, 17 July 2026. Level 4 source.
9. [S9] Data centre: Fife Council defends EIA decision branded 'appalling' and 'unfathomable'. Fife Today, 5 June 2026. Level 4 source.
10. [S10] Fury as 1000-year-old castle refused listed status and to be replaced by data centre. inkl (syndicated report). Level 4 source.
11. [S11] Petition: Stop the proposed AI data centre near Auchtertool, Fife. Change.org (James Melville), 8 June 2026. Level 6 source.
12. [S12] Fife AI data centre campaigners join demo at Scottish Parliament. Fife Today, 4 September 2026. Level 4 source.
13. [S13] DATA CENTRE (village page: application key, deadlines, group). Auchtertool village website. Level 6 source.
14. [S14] MSPs reject datacentre moratorium but pause planning decisions. Computer Weekly, 17 September 2026. Level 5 source.
15. [S15] Data centres: Chief Planner Letter and EIA Direction. Scottish Government, 16 September 2026. Level 1 source.
16. [S16] Data Centre Map (status table, last updated 13 August 2026). APRS, 13 August 2026. Level 6 source.
17. [S17] What did and didn't happen about AI datacentres at Holyrood. Bella Caledonia, 20 September 2026. Level 6 source.