Northumberland data centre project nears major approval

02 December 2025

The proposed construction of a massive data centre in Northumberland is set to advance significantly soon, with local councillors expected to approve plans for the first phase of the £10 billion development in Cambois.

Enabling works commenced in October on the site of the former Blyth Power Station, and American firm QTS, a subsidiary of investment giant Blackstone, is now seeking detailed planning permission for the initial two of up to ten data centre buildings planned for the site.

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UK moves closer to designating data centres as ‘nationally significant’

01 December 2025

New regulations that could allow individual UK data centre projects to be classified as ‘nationally significant’ for planning purposes have advanced further, receiving support from Parliament.

The proposed amendments to the Infrastructure Planning (Business or Commercial Projects) Regulations were approved by the House of Lords last week, following earlier approval by the House of Commons in November. These regulations, which still require formal approval by the Secretary of State before coming into effect, aim to give data centre developers the right to request that their projects be considered as ‘nationally significant infrastructure projects’ (NSIPs) for the purposes of planning consent.

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Downing Renewable Developments partners with Kao Data to build groundbreaking green solar farm

20 November 2025

Downing Renewable Developments (DRD), a subsidiary of Downing, has announced its inaugural project in the data centre sector, signing a landmark agreement to develop, construct, and operate a 40MW solar photovoltaic (PV) farm for Kao Data.

The Green Data Solar Farm will supply Kao Data’s acclaimed data centre campus in Harlow with up to 40 megawatts of clean, solar-generated electricity. This initiative marks a pivotal step in Kao Data’s sustainability strategy, reinforcing its commitment to reducing carbon emissions and boosting energy resilience through verified renewable sources. The project is set to be one of the UK’s first ground-mounted, private wire solar PV systems directly powering a colocation data centre, providing a dedicated renewable energy supply through a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

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Kyndryl highlights strategic shifts in cloud adoption

14 November 2025

Kyndryl has unveiled its 2025 Cloud Readiness Report, offering insights into how organisations are navigating a crucial transformation in cloud strategy that could accelerate AI adoption and enhance enterprise agility.

The report reveals that although cloud computing now forms the backbone of modern enterprise operations — growing into a sector valued at over $700 billion — many organisations have arrived at their current cloud environments by chance rather than through deliberate planning. Despite this, cloud investments continue to surge, with companies increasing their cloud spending by more than 30% on average over the past year, even as they face challenges related to AI integration, security demands, and evolving regulatory and governance landscapes.

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