600MW Cato data center in Fife, Scotland, planned on site of 1,000-year-old castle; £5bn ($6.71bn) proposal
ILI Group submitted plans in June for the 600MW Cato data center on a 25-hectare site near Auchtertool, Fife, with around £5 billion ($6.71bn) of investment delivered in phases and up to seven buildings plus an on-site substation. Historic Environment Scotland declined to designate Hallyards Castle as a protected monument because the planning process is already underway, so the castle walls could be removed. ILI says the site would be excavated and recorded by archaeologists first, and remaining stonework reused on site, while the Scottish Parliament voted last month for a de facto, temporary moratorium on new developments until clear rules are developed.
Heritage constraints, community consent and a de facto Scottish moratorium on new developments add permitting risk that site selection and schedule assumptions for hyperscale projects in Scotland need to account for.
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