Hundreds of jobs and billions of pounds of investment could be brought to North Lincolnshire according to the local council.
That’s after they approved plans for a new AI data centre campus in Elsham, near Scunthorpe.
Councillors said that the Elsham Tech Park development could attract “up to £10bn of private investment, support around 900 highly skilled long-term jobs, and create thousands of construction roles over the course of a decade as the site is built out.”
“The numbers attached to this project are eye-watering – almost hard to get your head around. But what really matters is what it means for residents in North Lincolnshire,” said Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council.
“This will bring thousands of construction jobs, hundreds of highly skilled, high-paid long-term roles, and the chance to build a new industry right here in North Lincolnshire.”
The plans for the 176 hectares (435 acres) of land, which was previously an RAF airfield, include up to 15 hyperscale data centre buildings, more than 1.5m sq metres of floor space and up to one gigawatt of computing capacity. This would make it one of the largest data centre campuses proposed in the UK.
It will also include energy, cooling and infrastructure to support “next-generation AI computing systems.”
Once operational, Elsham Tech Park stated that they would be employing around 900 to 1200 “highly skilled permanent jobs”.
“This is a once-in-a-generation investment opportunity. North Lincolnshire remains a place where major industries choose to invest, grow and create jobs,” added Cllr Waltham.
Elsham Tech Park Ltd is overseen by specialist planning and infrastructure developer, Greystoke, which is hoping to start construction next year, with completion in 2029.
