A major milestone has been reached as part of a plan to construct Scotland’s largest and most energy efficient data centre in Glenrothes.
A planning application has been submitted seeking permission to construct the state-of-the-art facility at the Queensway Industrial Estate, close to the town centre.
A green light to the plans would create hundreds of jobs and place the town at the heart of the ever-growing digital economy.
Fife Council Lead Officer Ross MacKenzie said: “Submission of the detailed planning application for a data centre development at Queensway Technology and Business Park marks another significant milestone for what will be one of the first facilities of its kind to be powered by 100% renewable energy.
“The facility will draw power from the adjacent RWE Innogy biomass plant which is the largest built to date in the UK.
“This as an important piece of business infrastructure that Fife can offer companies looking for improved business performance through cloud computing and to companies using Big Data to identify new business trends and opportunities, particularly in financial services and the energy industries.
Data centres are at the core of the modern economy, buildings where large networks of computer servers are placed by companies to process and store vast amounts of data.
The Queensway Park centre, if approved, will be first facility of its kind in the UK to draw 100% of its energy from renewable sources.
It will form the heart of a wider business park that will feature high speed connections stretching to more than 7,500 kilometres across the UK with global connection points.
It is anticipated more than 300 construction jobs could be created if permission is granted, with 50 full-time posts established once the centre opens.
