A quiet patch of farmland near Ochiltree might soon become one of Scotland’s most significant digital infrastructure hubs. Apatura, a developer known for battery energy storage projects, has submitted early plans to build a large-scale data center campus in East Ayrshire, with potential capacity to rival many of the UK’s existing data infrastructure projects.
The 200MW project could reshape not just East Ayrshire’s economy, but also Scotland’s broader ambitions in the global data center market.
From Agriculture to Algorithms: What’s Planned in Ochiltree?
Apatura, through its vehicle Apatura DC Project 12 Ltd, has filed for an Environmental Impact Assessment Screening Opinion for the new data center. This is a precursor to full planning permission and signals serious intent.
The proposed development would span 24.5 hectares—that’s about the size of 34 football fields—on agricultural land just south of Creoch Farm, near the site of the former Killoch Colliery.
The design, according to planning documents, will be “flexible.” That means:
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One or more one-to-two story buildings
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Up to 200MW of IT load
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A total floor area of roughly 45,000 square meters (about 484,375 sq ft)
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Roof-mounted solar panels
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An on-site substation, with a short underground cable connection to the nearby Killoch Substation
It’s a major proposal for a region with very limited existing digital infrastructure.
Who is Apatura—and Why Are They Moving Into Data Centers?
Founded in 2014, Apatura is better known for its work in energy storage. It has a 10.6GW portfolio of grid-secured projects and a 1.8GW chunk earmarked for future data center use.
Until now, most of its focus has been on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). In fact, a previous application on the same site had been for a 200MW battery storage facility. This new pivot to data centers appears strategic and deliberate.
Earlier this year, Michael Hunter—a former member of Google’s infrastructure strategy and acquisition team—joined the company to spearhead its data center division. That’s a serious signal. Hunter’s experience suggests Apatura is courting major hyperscale operators or cloud providers, even if no end user has yet been announced.
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The company is talking a big game too. In the application, it claims to be “uniquely positioned to support the expansion of hyperscale digital infrastructure,” aiming to align with Scotland’s national data center ambitions.
Why East Ayrshire? And Why Now?
At first glance, East Ayrshire might not seem like an obvious place for a massive data hub. It has limited fiber infrastructure, and few existing data centers. The region has mostly been bypassed by the digital infrastructure boom seen in London, Dublin, and more recently, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
But scratch a little deeper and the logic starts to show.
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The location near Killoch Substation gives the site strong grid connectivity—a must for data centers. The region also has plentiful renewable energy resources, including wind and solar. That’s a huge tick for ESG-minded operators.
Back in 2014, a separate East Ayrshire data center proposal (10,000 sqm plus wind turbines) failed to materialize. But times have changed. The Scottish government is actively campaigning to attract data center investment, and has mapped out development-ready land with grid access.
Here’s a quick comparison of East Ayrshire’s digital infrastructure efforts:
| Year | Project | Size | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Data center & wind farm | 10,000 sqm + 8 turbines | Never built |
| 2025 | Apatura Ochiltree | 45,000 sqm, 200MW | In planning |
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This latest application is the most concrete sign yet that Scotland’s digital infrastructure dreams are inching toward reality.
Challenges Ahead: Not Everyone Is Convinced
Still, not everything is straightforward.
Apatura doesn’t yet have a confirmed tenant. That matters. Hyperscale data centers—like those built for Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure—are usually pre-let, or at least closely coordinated with end users.
Without a named operator, some in the industry remain cautious.
Then there’s the timeline. Apatura anticipates a three-year build. In the fast-moving world of data infrastructure, that’s not short. Delays in grid connections or planning could stretch that even further.
The company’s reputation in data centers also isn’t established. So far, there’s limited public detail on their other digital projects. They’ll need to prove they can deliver.
And while locals might welcome new jobs, there’s also the usual pushback when farmland becomes tech land. Traffic, environmental impact, and energy use will all face scrutiny.
What This Means for Scotland’s Digital Landscape
Scotland has long been trying to market itself as a prime location for data centers. There’s abundant renewable energy, cool temperatures, and available land. Yet it’s lagged behind Ireland and England.
Here’s where things currently stand:
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DataVita has sites in Glasgow and Fortis (Lanarkshire)
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Oracle closed its Linlithgow site in 2021
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Other players like Atos, Pulsant, and Lumen run smaller facilities
This Ochiltree project, if realized, could be the largest purpose-built data center in Scotland to date.
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And with 200MW of planned IT load, it’s easily on par with hyperscale campuses in the south of England.
