Plans for huge data centre in the Vale of Glamorgan
US data centre company Vantage has secured planning consent for another project in Wales
An artist's impression of how the centre could look
US company Vantage Data Centers has secured approval for another major data centre project in Wales.
The company, which already operates a data centre campus on the outskirts of Cardiff and has plans for a 10-centre complex at the former Ford engine plant in Bridgend, has now secured approval for another scheme at the Welsh Government-owned Bro Tathan business park in St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Vale of Glamorgan Council has granted planning consent for a development with a 120-megawatt storage capacity.
The Welsh Government was asked to comment including whether it intends to enter into a land deal with Vantage or arrange a lease for the site. However it said it could not comment citing commercial sensitivities. Vantage said it didn't have any additional comment to provide at this time.
This latest project follows Vantage's submission in June of its plans for the Ford engine plant site to Bridgend council.
If approved the scheme could eventually see a cluster of 10 data centres built over a 10-to-15-year period at a site just two miles from Bridgend town centre along with three electricity substations. The campus would be roughly four times the capacity and size of Vantage's existing Newport site. Once operational it is projected to support 600 jobs and generate around £8.3m annually in business rates for the local authority.
Vantage said the campus will be net zero by 2030, powered by renewable energy, using minimal water, and capable of providing waste heat to local heating networks.
Earlier this year Vantage announced plans to invest £12bn in the UK with Wales expected to receive the lion's share of that investment.
Subject to planning consents and the necessary National Grid connections the company said the expansion would create 11,500 jobs of which around 10,000 would be construction related with 1,500 roles at the data centres themselves.
The expansion is being driven by the increasing adoption of AI. The Cardiff Bay administration previously said it has been working closely with the US firm since 2020 to support the development of its data centres in Wales.
Wales is also set to host a UK Government-backed AI investment zone. While its location has yet to be confirmed it could potentially include Vantage's planned data centre projects in Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan.
Vantage is also appraising over sites in south Wales for potential further data centre investment.
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The planning process for the Bro Tathan data centre project was overseen by CarneySweeney.
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