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

All schemes

Approved - but it's not overSouth East, England

Didcot A power station data centre campus (Amazon Web Services)

Two separate permissions exist. A 2021 hybrid permission (two buildings, reported as 84MW) was approved by Vale committee on 23 June 2021. A larger four-building hybrid permission for the same power station site was granted in July 2025; Amazon then filed a reserved matters application (decision targeted 27 January 2026, outcome not found) and the Environment Agency issued a permit for the 'Didcot North Data Centre Campus' on 3 August 2026, covering 129 standby diesel generators. [S1] [S3] [S5] [S6] [S8] [S9]

Key facts

Status
Approved - but it's not over (approved) [S1] [S3] [S5] [S6] [S8] [S9]
Decided by
Vale of White Horse District Council (with South Oxfordshire District Council for the part of the 2021 site within its area) [S1] [S3] [S4] [S7]
Applicant
Amazon Data Services UK Limited [S6] [S8] [S9] [S10]
Developer or backer
Amazon Web Services; site bought from RWE (sale completed November 2025, reports vary on price); the 2021 applicant used the name Willow Developments LLC
End user (reported)
Amazon / AWS
References
P21/V0167/FUL and P21/S0274/FUL; EPR/GP3127LV/A001
Location
Former Didcot A power station site, OX11 7BF, between Milton Park and the western edge of Didcot, Oxfordshire. The 2021 scheme covered 16 ha straddling the Vale of White Horse (6.74 ha) and South Oxfordshire (9.3 ha) boundary; the Environment Agency permit application covers about 23 ha. [S2] [S5] [S6]
Site area
23 ha [S3] [S5] [S6] [S11] [S10]
Buildings
Current campus: four data centre buildings plus a Central Industrial Water Building and substation (EA). 2021 scheme: two buildings (8,692 sqm single-storey; 20,800 sqm two-storey). [S3] [S5] [S6] [S11] [S10]
Investment (claimed)
Amazon has said it will invest GBP8bn in UK data centres 2024 to 2028 (claimed by Amazon, not specific to Didcot) [S3] [S5] [S6] [S11] [S10]
On-site generation
Standby diesel generation only (see below); PV panels and air source heat pumps proposed (RWE consultation site) [S2] [S6] [S14] [S15]
Backup generators
Environment Agency permit application: 129 standby diesel generators (122 x 7.5MWth, 4 x 1.9MWth house, 3 x 1.3MWth), about 925MWth combined net thermal input. The 2021 scheme: 34 generators after reduction from 54 (DCD, 2021). [S2] [S6] [S14] [S15]
Cooling and water
Closed-circuit cooling water system using a glycol mix, recirculated, no routine process water discharge; mains water for washing and top-up only (applicant's non-technical summary to the Environment Agency) [S2] [S6] [S14] [S15]
Previous use
Former Didcot A coal and oil fired power station (closed 2013, demolished 2014 to 2020); brownfield [S9] [S11] [S10]
Environmental assessment
Not established from sources found [S9] [S11] [S10]

Timeline

  1. 2019
    Original proposal with 54 generators (year only) [S2]
  2. 3 February 2021
    DCD reveals AWS behind 'Willow Developments LLC' two-building scheme, about 84MW, revised from 54 to 34 generators [S2]
  3. 23 June 2021
    Vale of White Horse planning committee unanimously approves hybrid application (full permission for 8,692 sqm building; outline for 20,800 sqm building), subject to s106 and conditions [S3] [S4]
  4. 30 June 2021
    South Oxfordshire District Council committee considers the same hybrid (P21/S0274/FUL); motion to grant carried with authority delegated pending s106 [S7]
  5. 2025-07
    Hybrid planning permission granted for a four-building Didcot data campus (RWE site; David Lock says 197,000 sqm data campus) [S8] [S9] [S11]
  6. 14 November 2025
    RWE completes sale of the campus site to an undisclosed hyperscaler (DCD, later identified as Amazon) [S9]
  7. 15 December 2025
    Environment Agency consultation on Amazon's environmental permit application opens (closes 19 January 2026) [S6]
  8. 15 January 2026
    Press reports reserved matters for four data centre buildings pending at Vale, decision target 27 January 2026 [S10] [S12]
  9. 3 August 2026
    Environment Agency issues permit EPR/GP3127LV/A001 for Didcot North Data Centre Campus [S5]

Politicians and organisations

  • Cllr Richard Webber (Vale ward councillor) raised the second-building concern in 2021
  • Didcot and Sutton Courtenay parish councils objected to the 2021 scheme on landscaping against light and noise and sustainable transport grounds (Oxford Magazine, 2021); Sutton Courtenay Parish Council was in engagement mode with Amazon's consultants in October 2025 (draft minutes)

Claims

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

  • Willow Developments / AWS, as reported by DCD in 2021 (developer): Around 100 permanent jobs for the 2021 two-building scheme (400 temporary construction jobs for the first building over 15 months) [S2] [S1]
  • RWE / TFA consultation website (developer): Campus will target BREEAM Excellent with PV panels and air source heat pumps [S15]
  • Cllr Richard Webber (Vale ward councillor), as reported by DCD in 2021 (other): There is much local concern that by accepting the first, smaller data centre, the second, much larger one could pass by default [S1]
  • Amazon, as reported by Data Centre Review (developer): Amazon will invest GBP8bn in UK data centres 2024 to 2028, with Didcot a notable part [S12]

Sources

  1. [S1] District Council approves Amazon Web Services' Didcot, UK, data center. DatacenterDynamics. Level 5 source.
  2. [S2] Exclusive: AWS is behind a bid to build two data centers at site of UK's Didcot A Power Station. DatacenterDynamics, 3 February 2021. Level 5 source.
  3. [S3] Vale of White Horse go-ahead for data centres at Didcot A power station site. The Oxford Magazine, 5 July 2021. Level 4 source.
  4. [S4] Vale approves Didcot data centre plan. UK Property Forums, 24 June 2021. Level 5 source.
  5. [S5] OX11 7BF, Amazon Data Services UK Limited: environmental permit issued - EPR/GP3127LV/A001. GOV.UK (Environment Agency), 3 August 2026. Level 2 source.
  6. [S6] OX11 7BF, Amazon Data Services UK Limited, EPR/GP3127LV/A001: environmental permit consultation. Environment Agency, 15 December 2025. Level 2 source.
  7. [S7] Agenda item - P21/V0167/FUL and P21/S0274/FUL - Land at Former Didcot 'A' Power Station. South Oxfordshire / Vale of White Horse District Council, 30 June 2021. Level 1 source.
  8. [S8] Delivering Didcot Data Campus. RWE / TFA consultation website, 2025-09. Level 3 source.
  9. [S9] RWE completes sale of planned Didcot Data Campus in Oxfordshire, UK. DatacenterDynamics, 14 November 2025. Level 5 source.
  10. [S10] Amazon Looks To Build Data Centre At Didcot Power Station Site. Silicon UK, 15 January 2026. Level 5 source.
  11. [S11] Didcot Data Campus Planning Permission Secured. David Lock Associates, 1 September 2025. Level 3 source.
  12. [S12] Amazon awaits planning decision on Didcot A data centre. Data Centre Review, 2026-01. Level 5 source.
  13. [S13] DRAFT Minutes 7th October 2025. Sutton Courtenay Parish Council, 7 October 2025. Level 4 source.
  14. [S14] Non-technical summary, Didcot data centre environmental permit application (30 September 2025). Amazon Data Services UK Ltd via Environment Agency, 30 September 2025. Level 2 source.
  15. [S15] RWE sells Didcot A coal plant in UK to Amazon for data center. DatacenterDynamics, 17 December 2025. Level 5 source.