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£600m green investment for Scotland

Hi-Tech Scotland | Monday December 10, 2007



Internet Villages International, a specialist sustainable property company, has announced plans for the world’s first green powered Data Farm to be built on the outskirts of Lockerbie in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. This £600m investment will result in the creation of 500 jobs in the area. By completion the Lockerbie Data Farm will provide 3 million sq ft of data storage, so will be the largest of its kind in the world. Work on the Data Farm is expected to start in 2008 and be completed by 2010.
What also makes the Lockerbie project unique is the use of renewable energy to power equipment in the Data Farm. Electricity will be sourced from the nearby E-On UK biomass power station, the largest such power station in the UK, and from existing and planned wind generation in Dumfries and Galloway. Almost all existing Data Centres in the UK are built in urban areas or business parks and the considerable waste heat produced is vented to the atmosphere. In contrast, the waste heat from the Lockerbie Data Farm will provide low cost heating to a planned adjacent eco internet village and to local horticultural businesses. This project represents a world first for Scotland.
As part of their corporate governance obligations, organisations increasingly have to calculate and report on their carbon footprint. Running computer equipment, as well as maintaining the correct temperature and humidity levels for this equipment account for a significant proportion of the energy usage in most large organisations. Global Action Plan report that ICT equipment accounts for 10% of the UK’s total energy consumption.
The buildings at the Lockerbie Data Farm will be also be purpose-built for client organisations, so improving the efficiency of the energy required. As a result of this and the use of renewable energy, organisations locating their computer equipment at the Lockerbie Data Farm will be able to declare significant carbon reductions as well as making major cost savings.
Several Fortune 500 multi-national companies, including financial institutions, have already expressed interest in the Lockerbie Data Farm. The inward investment from major corporates will create new jobs in the area both during the construction and operational phases of the Data Farm. 500 jobs will be created once the Data Farm is operational. Plans are also in place to ensure the high-speed internet access required for the Data Farm is extended to the town of Lockerbie, making it the best-connected town in the UK in internet terms.
The Data Farm will comprise of a series of unobtrusive single storey buildings in a mixed woodland setting. The site has capacity for up to 3million square feet of floor space. It is expected that the Data Farm will house over 20 Data Centres once complete.
Peter Hewkin, Founder of Internet Villages International said: “The availability of local green electricity, access to super-fast Internet connectivity and the support of the economic development bodies in Dumfries and Galloway for environmentally sustainable regeneration projects make Lockerbie perfect for this project. As a result, we anticipate several Fortune 500 companies and public sector organisations will locate their Data Centres at the Lockerbie Data Farm. This will create at least 500 jobs and bring over £600m of investment to the area.”
Gordon Thomson, Cisco’s Operations Director for Scotland & Ireland commented: “Scotland’s climate, competitive land prices and highly skilled workforce make Scotland the ideal location for data centres, and the data centre opportunity for inward investment in Scotland is significant. The potential in this new plan to create a new Data Farm at Lockerbie is enormous and demonstrates the size of the opportunity which exists for Scotland.”
Tony Fitzpatrick, Group Manager Economic Regeneration for Dumfries and Galloway Council commented: The strategic opportunities this could open up are considerable. I am particularly excited about the strong sustainability dimensions of the project. From a regeneration perspective, we have been attempting to exploit the strategic positioning of Lockerbie in UK terms, since it is often very difficult for essentially rural areas to attract this type of inward investment and put us on the map in terms of Scotland’s digital future.”
Polly Purvis, Chief Executive of ScotlandIS said: "Scotland provides an ideal location for Data Centres with significant opportunities to harness the natural resources available and create environmentally sustainable centres. This project will fast track Scotland to the top of the Data Centre investment league.”
Future plans at Lockerbie also include the creation of a 700 home eco internet village on 130 acres adjacent to the Data Farm site. Waste heat from the Data Farm will power these homes.
This development will provide for a traditional village infrastructure, with a wide range of properties, including a proportion of low cost homes. Carefully integrated commercial office space will also be included, both as part of some homes and as stand-alone space. All homes will be carbon neutral, utilise 100% green energy and will be designed to support home-based working and/or walking to work.
The availability of super-fast Internet access delivered by fibre direct into the home will foster home-based working by tele-commuters, freelancers and local micro-businesses.
Brian Higton, Chairman of the Telework Association expressed his delight at the announcement of the plan to support home working. Higton said: “This is a tremendously innovative project allowing people to live and work in a quality environment while eliminating the need for daily commuting. This project encompasses economic regeneration, improved quality of life and environmental sustainability. It also has the potential to provide a model for future developments. This development aligns with the ambitions of Dumfries & Galloway to be the natural place to live, learn and work”.

www.internetvillagesinternational.com

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