Summary
- Public consultation opened on 15 October for Longmarsh Green Energy in West Norfolk.
- The developer proposes a data centre of up to 1GW alongside solar generation of up to 1.3GW and battery storage.
- A Walpole substation connection is envisaged from 2031; none of the proposed capacities is commissioned.
Longmarsh Green Energy has opened a public consultation on proposals for a large West Norfolk data centre campus alongside solar generation and battery storage, with the developer indicating prospective computing demand of up to 1GW.
The scheme is being promoted by EPL Norfolk Limited. Its plans cover land north-east of Tilney St Lawrence and a second area near Fincham and Barton Bendish, with cable routes linking different elements. Consultation began on 15 October and is expected to remain open until late November, allowing residents to comment before the developer advances its planning proposals.
The project combines up to 1.3GW of proposed solar generation with battery storage and a data centre described as having a capacity of up to 1GW. These headline ratings refer to different systems. Solar nameplate capacity measures generating equipment under specified conditions, whereas the computing campus rating describes a proposed demand or facility capacity. The figures cannot be subtracted to conclude that the development will operate independently of the grid.
The developer proposes a future connection to the transmission network at Walpole from 2031. That date is a reported target for connection, not evidence that the required electrical works, agreements or commissioning have been completed. Construction, customer demand and the final design remain subject to subsequent decisions.
Solar generation and computing demand have different profiles
Continuous data centre operation requires firm electrical arrangements through low solar-output periods, including at night and during low solar output. Solar farms produce power according to sunlight and weather conditions. Batteries can store electricity for later delivery, but their duration and contribution to security of supply depend on the installed energy capacity, discharge rating and operating strategy.
EPL Norfolk says its proposed data centre would be powered predominantly by locally sourced renewable energy, including offshore wind. That is the developer’s intended supply model, not verified evidence of hourly matching between generation and consumption or a completed set of supply agreements.
The company also proposes closed-loop cooling to reduce demands on local water supplies. Closed-loop describes circulation within part of the cooling system; the eventual make-up water and heat rejection arrangements depend on the full design. Neither a zero-consumption outcome nor a particular annual cooling-water figure can be inferred from that description.
At this stage, the transmission connection, solar installation, storage and data centre must be considered as proposed elements of an integrated development, rather than separate schemes that have already reached operational status.
Consultation covers land and infrastructure impacts
Any proposed battery scheme requires two separate capacity figures for a meaningful assessment: electrical output in megawatts and stored energy in megawatt-hours. A large discharge rating with limited duration can help manage short changes in supply or demand but would not guarantee overnight coverage for a continuously operating computing campus. The reporting available at consultation opening does not provide a complete battery specification, so no duration or firming capacity should be assumed.
The size and dispersed geography of the scheme create planning questions extending beyond the eventual server buildings. Land conversion, construction traffic, landscape effects, substations, underground cables, drainage and biodiversity management may all require technical assessment. The precise boundaries and the route of supporting infrastructure will be important to the consultation.
EPL Norfolk says the data centre component could attract more than £25 billion of investment and create more than 500 operational jobs, with additional construction employment. Those are company projections, not contracted capital expenditure or verified job creation.
Public feedback can influence the application’s layout, mitigation and supporting studies. It does not constitute a planning decision. A developer may consult on several conceptual options before submitting its final scheme, and parameters may change as environmental work and connection negotiations advance.
Even if planning permission is eventually granted, electrical reinforcement, cooling commissioning, building completion and installation of computing equipment would remain separate delivery milestones. The first stated grid connection from 2031 is therefore a more concrete timing constraint than the scale of the investment projection.
The opening of consultation is the new development in October. The proposed 1GW campus and 1.3GW solar project remain at an early stage, with both local impacts and the practical sequence of energy delivery still to be established.
