Project record, campus
QTS Cambois data centre campus (Blyth, Northumberland)
Data centre campus planned by QTS, Blackstone's data centre business, on the former Britishvolt and Blyth Power Station land at Cambois. Northumberland County Council granted outline permission in March 2025 for up to 10 data centre buildings on more than 133 acres (540,000 sq m), with Blackstone citing a £10bn development. The first reserved-matters phase was approved on 2 December 2025, initial earthworks started in October 2025, and BBC reported earlier planning documents pointing to around 2035 for the final phase. Electrical capacity has not been disclosed in the sources reviewed.
Reported figures
| Figure | What it measures | Delivery state | Scope and date | Used in totals | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GBP 10 billion Third-party reported 10,000,000,000 GBP | Investment Headline development value for the whole campus as reported. Period not stated. Source wording: "£10bn development" | Announced Stage stated in source: Announced | campus 5 Mar 2025 | No. Marked not summable by research: Headline development value for the whole campus as reported. Period not stated. | bbc.co.uk (opens in a new tab) |
| at least 540,000 sq m Third-party reported Lower bound | Floor or land area Site area under outline permission, not floor area. Source wording: "10 buildings constructed over more than 133 acres (540,000 sq m)" | Permitted Stage stated in source: Permitted | campus 5 Mar 2025 | No. Area figures describe different things (site, floor or data hall area). Shown per record, never summed. | bbc.co.uk (opens in a new tab) |
Each figure is shown as reported, with its own definition. IT, facility, grid and thermal figures are never added together. Capacity definitions.
Power and grid
Each data hall reported to require eight separate electricity lines and 55 diesel generators for emergency power (planning committee reporting). bbc.co.uk (opens in a new tab)
What changed
- 2 Dec 2025 Phase 1 reserved matters (two data halls) approved Related: QTS Cambois campus phase 1 (two data halls). bbc.co.uk (opens in a new tab)
Notes
Investment unit: value 10 with unit currency means GBP 10 billion.
Phases and buildings
Sources (2), last checked 18 Oct 2026
- Council approves £10bn data centre at former Britishvolt site (opens in a new tab), BBC News, published 5 Mar 2025, accessed 18 Oct 2026
- Blyth data centre first phase works given go-ahead (opens in a new tab), BBC News (Local Democracy Reporting Service), published 2 Dec 2025, accessed 18 Oct 2026
Last checked 18 Oct 2026 by CoolPower Index research (automated, sourced). Report a correction.