Private prototype. Facts from research on 2 to 3 October 2026; not yet reviewed for publication. Forms do not submit.

All schemes

Early stageScotland, Scotland

Cockenzie data centre (former power station coal store)

East Lothian Council, as landowner, is working on a joint venture with SDCL for a data centre on the former coal store (70 acres); the council's own news item says no planning application has been submitted. The reported 21-1 vote in August 2026 on a 12-month exclusivity period is from APRS only and could not be checked against council minutes. No proposal of application notice, screening or scoping request or application was found (the East Lothian EIA register could not be read). Any application would be for a scheme reported at 200MW, so it would need an EIA, be notified to Scottish Ministers on validation, and come after the Parliament's 16 September 2026 vote that no hyperscale decisions should be taken until guidance exists (a resolution, not a legal bar). [S1] [S10] [S12] [S2] [S8] [S9]

Key facts

Status
Early stage (rumoured) [S1] [S10] [S12] [S2] [S8] [S9]
Decided by
East Lothian Council as planning authority (no application); East Lothian Council is also the landowner and proposed joint venture partner, which is a conflict of roles to note [S1] [S2]
Applicant
No applicant yet. East Lothian Council with Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL) as preferred partner [S1] [S12] [S13] [S2]
Developer or backer
Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL), selected by East Lothian Council through competitive tender in February 2025
Location
Former coal store land at the Cockenzie power station site, about 70 acres (about 28 ha) per APRS, adjacent to an approved battery energy storage development and near homes, a playpark and Cockenzie primary school. [S1] [S2]
Total power
200MW [S1]
Site area
28 ha [S1]
Previous use
Former coal store of Cockenzie power station (station ceased generating 15 March 2013, demolished 2015) [S1] [S4] [S6]
Environmental assessment
No screening request found. A full EIA is now mandatory for data centres over 50MW under the Scottish Government direction in force from 17 September 2026. [S1] [S4] [S6]

Timeline

  1. 2025-02
    East Lothian Council agrees selection of SDCL as preferred supplier after competitive tender, in a private report (month only) [S12] [S13]
  2. 23 October 2025
    DCD reports SDCL selected as preferred supplier (tender completed February 2025); legal agreements expected to take about a year before statutory public consultation. [S2]
  3. 3 August 2026
    Landscape Sensitivity Assessment consultation closes (per APRS). [S1]
  4. 17 August 2026
    Scottish Government direction published: planning authorities must notify Scottish Ministers within seven days of validating applications for data centres over 50MW [S9]
  5. 16 September 2026
    Scottish Parliament agrees motion S7M-01177 (80-26, 15 abstentions) on hyperscale data centres, with amendments reported to suspend decisions until national guidance is complete (non-binding resolution); Scottish Government publishes EIA direction for data centres over 50MW [S8] [S10] [S11]

Politicians and organisations

  • Council vote reported as 21-1 in favour of progressing the joint venture, so one councillor opposed (APRS; vote not checked against minutes)
  • Say NO to Cockenzie Data Centre Group
  • APRS (tracks the site)

Claims

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

  • East Lothian Council spokesperson as quoted by DCD, October 2025 (council): Potential long-term community benefits such as support for education and training. [S2]
  • APRS, summarising council papers (not checked against the papers) (campaigners): Construction could start in summer or autumn 2029. [S1]
  • APRS (DCD says MW not disclosed) (campaigners): The site area is about 70 acres and the scheme is 200MW. [S1] [S2]

Campaigns

Sources

  1. [S1] Cockenzie. Action to Protect Rural Scotland. Level 6 source.
  2. [S2] Data center planned at former coal store in East Lothian, Scotland. DatacenterDynamics, 23 October 2025. Level 5 source.
  3. [S3] Scottish Government introduces mandatory oversight for major AI data centre developments. The Scottish Review, 17 August 2026. Level 4 source.
  4. [S4] Direction for new data centres. Scottish Government, 16 September 2026. Level 1 source.
  5. [S5] Parliament votes to pause data centre applications until guidance is in place. Action to Protect Rural Scotland, 17 September 2026. Level 6 source.
  6. [S6] Cockenzie power station. Wikipedia. Level 7 source.
  7. [S7] Residents reject plans for 200MW data centre in Cockenzie (headline only; page blocked by robots.txt). East Lothian Courier. Level 4 source.
  8. [S8] Motion S7M-01177: Hyperscale Data Centres (lodged 14 September 2026 by Patrick Harvie; taken in the Chamber 16 September 2026; agreed 80 for, 26 against, 15 abstentions, 8 did not vote). Scottish Parliament, 16 September 2026. Level 1 source.
  9. [S9] Data centre planning direction (published 17 August 2026: planning authorities to notify Scottish Ministers within seven days of validating data centre applications over 50MW). Scottish Government, 17 August 2026. Level 1 source.
  10. [S10] Direction for new data centres (published 16 September 2026: EIA required for new data centres over 50MW; no transitional wording seen in the summary read). Scottish Government, 16 September 2026. Level 1 source.
  11. [S11] Scotland's parliament backs de facto, temporary, moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. DatacenterDynamics, 16 September 2026. Level 5 source.
  12. [S12] Update on plans for a data centre at Cockenzie (council news item; undated in the text read; states no planning application has been submitted, 70-acre site leased to a joint venture, SDCL chosen by competitive tender approved in February 2025). East Lothian Council. Level 1 source.
  13. [S13] East Lothian Council Backs Hyperscale Data Centre Plan at Cockenzie (selection of SDCL agreed in a private report, February 2025; no MW, PAN or vote count in the text read). Digit. Level 5 source.
  14. [S14] Scoping opinion EIA/SCOPING/26/02 (also 25/00008/SCR), 30 March 2026: green energy data centre and heat hub on about 60.2ha south of the A1 at West Barns Mains, Dunbar (a SEPARATE East Lothian scheme; applicant Grant Young, Young Planning & Energy Consenting). East Lothian Council (copy hosted by APRS), 30 March 2026. Level 1 source.
  15. [S15] Cockenzie - re-read 3 October 2026: APRS page last updated 1 October 2026; 21-1 vote (August 2026), 200MW, about 70 acres, 12-month exclusivity with SDCL, 'not yet in planning', construction start summer/autumn 2029 anticipated. Action to Protect Rural Scotland, 1 October 2026. Level 6 source.
  16. [S16] East Lothian Council EIA screening and scoping opinion register page (description only; entries not rendered, so no Cockenzie entry could be confirmed or ruled out). East Lothian Council. Level 1 source.