Latest news with #QTS
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Data centre blitz threatens Labour's net zero hopes
Sir Keir Starmer's bid to boost the economy with a slew of new data centres threatens to undermine Labour's net zero goals, campaigners have warned. Just one £10bn data centre project in the North East will emit as much carbon dioxide as one of Britain's busiest airports, highlighting the difficult trade-offs facing the Prime Minister as he seeks to both improve growth and reduce emissions. A complex of 10 facilities near Blyth, Northumberland, will generate more greenhouse gas emissions than Birmingham Airport, which carries 12m passengers per year, planning documents show. The project, which will cover 133 acres, is being helmed by Blackstone-backed QTS and was touted by the Prime Minister last September as a 'huge vote of confidence in the UK'. Work is expected to start on the site later this year. Martha Dark, of the non-profit group Foxglove, said: 'It is difficult to see how the Government plans to reach its manifesto commitment of hitting net zero by 2050 when it is approving construction projects that add the impact of a major regional airport to our annual emissions.' Data centres are crucial to artificial intelligence (AI) and Sir Keir has made establishing them a key priority as he seeks to harness the new technology. Data centres were designated as critical national infrastructure last September and the Prime Minister has identified certain areas as 'AI growth zones', making it is easier to build there. The projects require huge amounts of power. In a report this week, Alex de Vries-Gao, founder of the Digiconomist website, calculated AI data centres would need 23GW of power worldwide by the end of 2025. The UK's average national power demand is around 30GW. Tech companies have turned to nuclear to try and meet the surging demand for power in an environmentally friendly way, including restarting ageing plants. However, the industry has struggled to bring nuclear power online fast enough to meet rising demand. Both Microsoft and Google reported increases in their carbon emissions in their latest annual reports. In a paper published in the journal Joule, Mr de Vries-Gao said: 'There are early indications that these data centres could exacerbate dependence on fossil fuels.' The 'hyperscale' scheme The 'hyperscale' data centre in Blyth, which received the green light earlier this month, will emit 184,160 tonnes of CO2 per year once operational. Northumberland County Council, which approved the scheme, said the facility would double its overall industrial emissions and represent 12pc of the county's overall emissions by 2030. Council documents show officials asked QTS to consider adding more renewable power or battery storage facilities to its plans, however the developer had 'discounted' these as impractical. The data facility's expected emissions assume the UK remains on track with its plans to decarbonise the grid. In an environmental report submitted by QTS, the operator said it had received feedback that the council was concerned the project could 'throw off' the local authority's own green target of carbon neutrality by 2030. Councillors agreed to proceed with the scheme regardless. Ms Dark said: 'The most optimistic forecasts for this new hyperscale data centre in Northumberland say it would create close to 200,000 tonnes of new carbon emissions each year – somewhere between the annual emissions of Birmingham and Edinburgh airports.' A Government spokesman said: 'Our Clean Power Action Plan will enable the development of new energy intensive industries such as data centres, helping to grow the economy. 'Advanced modular reactors will play a particularly important role in growing energy-hungry sectors like AI and we're shaking up the planning rules to make it easier to build nuclear power stations across the country.' A Northumberland County Council spokesman said: 'The council's strategic planning committee carefully considered a wide range of issues contained within the environmental statement submitted as part of the application under the EIA regulations. 'In making their decision members noted that the applicant will be utilising a high number of sustainable practices which will help to mitigate its carbon footprint. The applicant will also continue to look at innovative technology throughout the life of the development, which could in the future help to mitigate against this further.' A QTS spokesman said: 'The right energy mix is crucial for building this vital infrastructure. From day one, our industry-leading design and advanced water-cooling systems will drive maximum energy efficiency. We are further committed to finding new ways to reducing future emissions by integrating renewables into our energy supply and repurposing residual heat to benefit the local community.'
Business News Wales
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Micro Loan from Development Bank Backs Growing Industrial Supply Business
Andrew Harrison, Owner, QTS; Callum O'Neill, QTS; Nicola Edwards, Development Bank of Wales; Donna Strohmeyer, Development Bank of Wales The Development Bank of Wales has backed Cardiff-based QTS Industrial Supplies Ltd with a micro loan, allowing the business to set its sights on growth with improved machinery and stock. Established in 1984, and now led by current owner Andrew Harrison, QTS provides all aspects of industrial supplies and machining equipment to business customers, including cutting tools, precision engineering equipment and hand and power tools. It also offers maintenance, repair and overhaul services and uniforms and textiles equipment including PPE, with clients including Transport for Wales, Caerdav, Dow Silicones and Ryanair. The micro loan, from the Wales Flexible Investment Fund, will be split across machinery and stock for the business, which has seen growth of nearly four times in the last four years. Andrew Harrison said: 'We've seen some significant expansion over the last few years and that's been supported by us investing in ourselves. The capacity we've built up means we've been able to provide a wider range of goods, and bring in more contracts. 'This loan from the Development Bank of Wales means we'll be able to carry on with our growth plans, and as we're a Welsh business based in Wales, it made sense that we approached them for support. I'd like to thank Donna Strohmeyer, Investment Executive at the Development Bank, for her support and guidance during the deal process – she was fantastic'. Nicola Edwards, Fund Manager at the Development Bank, said: 'I'm really pleased at the level of support we've been able to provide to QTS Industrial Supplies. We've recently made a number of changes to our micro loans, including classifying any investment from £1,000 to £100,000 as a micro loan, and removing 1% arrangement fees. 'With these changes, we can help businesses like QTS Industrial Supplies get the funding they need to start up and grow quicker and easier than before.' She added: 'We're also pleased that we're continuing our relationship with the Wales Council for Voluntary Action, who will continue to manage the third-sector and social impact of our micro-loans.' The Development Bank offers micro loans from £1,000 to £100,000, with fixed interest rates for the duration of a loan, flexible terms and fast-track applications available. For more information, visit Development Bank of Wales – Micro Loans
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Northumberland data centre construction timeline revealed
The timeline for delivery of a £10bn artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing data centre has been published as part of new planning applications for the site at Cambois, near Blyth, in Northumberland, from US firm QTS say the first phase of so-called enabling works has a target start date of late on the first phase of the data centres themselves is set to begin next year.A further four phases are slated to follow, with the final one completed in 2035. Those timescales are subject to securing future planning permissions, documents sayBy the time it is completed, the site will total up to 540,000 sq m (5,812,512 sq km) of internal space, as well as the likes of substations and other associated permission for the facility, which will include 10 buildings, was granted in first phase of the project covers the south and south-western portion of the former Blyth Power Station of that stage alone is not expected to be completed until 2029, the Local Democracy Reporting Service is a data subsidiary of investment giant has previously said the development would create more than 1,600 jobs, including 1,200 long-term construction addition, it was estimated a further 2,700 jobs would be created across the wider local site had previously been home to Britishvolt, which had intended to build a £3.8bn battery factory for the electric car the company collapsed in 2023 leading to the loss of more than 200 jobs. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bridget Phillipson's education bill is an abuse of state power
Yesterday's March for Children was a striking reflection of what Britain ought to be – a nation where disparate voices unite to defend fundamental freedoms. From home educators and school leaders to Orthodox Jews and black Britons, we came together to oppose the Wellbeing and Schools Bill. It was an extraordinary display of shared conviction: that the state is overreaching, and that parents and school leaders alike must draw a line. The Bill claims to improve wellbeing and raise standards. In practice, it does the opposite. It erodes autonomy, lowers standards, and imposes yet another layer of bureaucracy on already overstretched schools and families. Home educators are rightly alarmed. Their concern is not born of paranoia but of lived experience – they know how indifferent the state can be to the unique needs of individual children. As Headmistress of Michaela, I stand with them. Our freedoms are also under threat – particularly the proposed restriction on employing teachers who do not hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The assumption that a certificate guarantees competence is simply untrue. Anyone who has worked in schools knows this. Consider the private sector. Independent schools have long had the freedom to employ unqualified teachers. Have their pupils failed to achieve top grades or win places at leading universities? Of course not. No one questions whether parents paying tens of thousands of pounds a year are receiving a substandard education. So why should state school families be denied the same flexibility? It's tempting to believe QTS represents a gold standard. It doesn't. There are myriad routes into teaching – some paid, some unpaid; some university-based, others entirely in-school. All depend on in-classroom mentorship. Any new teacher, whether or not he is pursuing QTS, must learn to plan lessons, mark work, complete safeguarding training and support neurodiverse pupils. A mentor is there to guide them either way. The truth is that the certificate does not make someone a better teacher – as private schools well understand. QTS requires reams of paperwork from both mentor and trainee. Much of it serves bureaucratic benchmarks rather than educational ones. Hours that could be spent helping children are instead lost to form-filling and box-ticking. For many talented would-be teachers, it is a powerful deterrent. At Michaela, we currently have around 50 teachers. Two do not hold QTS. One, a former soldier, is a trusted Head of Year 11, leading a full cohort towards their GCSEs. The other, an outstanding Economics graduate from the LSE, was bound for the City but chose the classroom instead. Had we insisted on the bureaucratic hurdles of QTS, he simply wouldn't be teaching. And does Bridget Phillipson – or anyone in Whitehall – understand just how hard it is to find a good Economics teacher? The Bill also places extraordinary pressure on home educators, potentially criminalising parents for failing to meet arcane new requirements. Under these proposals, those who educate their own children could face up to a year in prison if they fall foul of the new rules. This is not sensible safeguarding. It is an abuse of state power. And at the same time, the Bill eliminates a key recruitment pipeline for schools – the ability to hire high-calibre, non-certified teachers. With shortages already critical, heads will be forced to rely on supply staff – who, especially in shortage subjects, may not even exist. And by nature, supply teachers cannot provide the consistency and continuity that children need to thrive. This Bill burns the candle at both ends. It penalises committed parents and closes the door on promising teachers. Yesterday's march reminded me how extraordinary parents can be when they are given a voice. We were united in our message: trust parents, trust headteachers – and for heaven's sake, scrap this Bill. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Chicago Tribune
14-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Union Township residents show up in force to protest data centers proposed for rural community
The Porter County Expo Center was a mass exercise in solidarity Tuesday evening as over 1,000 Union Township residents crammed into the main ballroom to vehemently oppose two data centers proposed for Wheeler. The sea of orange T-shirts that read 'Wheeler Country Not Corporate' covered nearly every body in the 530 chairs, while hundreds more stood on three sides around them. That visual message was audibly reinforced at a deafening level as the crowd cheered their neighbors who spoke against the proposal and booed a NIPSCO official and other business leaders who spoke in favor of it. The town hall was organized by the Porter County Plan Commission as an extra step not required by state statute to allow petitioner QTS to hear the questions, concerns, and feedback from residents as it finesses its application for a planned unit development that would allow for changes to the county's Unified Development Ordinance through a vote of the Board of Commissioners. While the Plan Commission will run the majority of the application process it is strictly an advisory body, meaning it will take a vote to make a non-binding favorable or unfavorable recommendation to the Board of Commissioners which has the final say. 'I know a lot of people are impatient and they want it to stop now,' said Porter County's Director of Development & Storm Water Management Mike Jabo, 'but there's a process.' The proposed projects are being called Jeremiah A and Jeremiah B. Jeremiah A is proposed for a 351.85-acre parcel at the northeast corner of County Road W 450 N and County Road N 750 W owned by John Loxas of Hammond. Jeremiah B is proposed for 434.46 acres owned by Johnson Sunnybrook Farm, LLC and Ceres Cedar Creek Farm, LLC, of Hobart, at the southeast corner of W 450 N and N 650 W due north of Union Township Middle and High schools. QTS, a Kansas City-based data center owner, operator, and developer, was given 45 minutes to make a presentation. The formal petition came from AXPK, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, on behalf of the property owners who would transfer ownership upon adoption of the ordinances. Attorneys for AXPK filed papers with the county naming QTS as an affiliate. Nick Blessing, of the land policy and development department for QTS, started off with a lot of talk about core values. 'Integrity, character, and trust are foundational to every relationship,' he said while two women who live in Union Township and serve the children in the cafeteria at Union Center Elementary chuckled over his remarks in the middle of the audience. Upon his mention of QTS taking a team of boys from one of its data center towns to the Little League World Series someone in the audience muttered, 'He's gaslighting.' To talk of the installation of a 50-foot American flag on a 'Freedom Wall' another said, 'Oh big deal!' And to his claims that the company's data centers provide 'very skilled labor jobs' and 'highly skilled technology jobs,' someone shouted, 'That's a lie.' Blessing said 125 to 175 full-time permanent jobs were anticipated at the sites upon completion. He also said the county could expect $10 million in tax revenues upon full buildout. He then passed the presentation to his colleague Chris Kapper of the predevelopment team who addressed a series of particular concerns, including building height, setbacks, and site lines. Building height in the proposed light industrial zone would be 75 feet, plus additional height for mechanical equipment. 'We understand that is what is causing some angst,' Blessing said. A 32-foot landscaping berm with a 5-foot elevation change from the road level is proposed. 'We envision you will be able to shield the view of the development at maturation in about 10 years,' he added. He explained that setback plans have been expanded to 2,000 feet from the nearest school building, 1,000 feet from the nearest ball field, 100 feet from agriculture, 200 feet from residential development, and 500 feet from school property. The audience was unimpressed. After a few brief remarks from Blessing regarding noise and EMFs the meeting was turned over to public comment. What had been planned for two hours eventually stretched 45 minutes over schedule as moderator and Plan Commission President Rick Burns failed to maintain control of the event. While the audience was originally told each speaker would be given a maximum of two minutes to speak, some were haphazardly given up to five because they were deemed to have special status, such as a physician, or the crowd demanded they be allowed to continue. Rex Richards, president of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, spoke first. 'I'm here to compliment the county on going through this type of process,' he said. 'If you need to hire experts to help please consider doing that.' NIPSCO's Rick Calinski, director of public affairs and economic development, got big boos when he introduced himself next. He said NIPSCO's Generation Company is pursuing the separation of the cost of infrastructure for large projects like data centers from that of regular customers. Several county officials were in attendance, including the entire Board of Commissioners, Treasurer Jimmy Albarran, and County Council members Red Stone, R-1st; Michelle Harris, R-At-Large; Mike Brickner, R-At-Large; and Andy Vasquez, R-4th. Vasquez was the only one to speak. 'If it comes to me for a vote for an abatement, my answer is no,' he said. Speakers made a variety of points including statements that the project would not be a data center, but a hyper-scaled data center the size of many WalMarts and that Blackstone, which is considered by many to have contributed to the 2008 housing crisis, bought QTS in 2021. Porter Township School Corporation Superintendant Stacey Schmidt joked that despite Union Township Bearcats being their arch-rivals, her community did not support a data center being thrust upon them. 'Parents send our most precious asset (to school),' she said. 'School safety is lacking in your presentation.' Union Township resident Chris Navetta summed up the ethos of the crowd. 'I've moved here for this and I've never been more proud of Wheeler. These are your constituents.'
