The procurement process is now being finalised, with the hope of securing up to 拢300m of investment into the Fylde coast.
The provisional agreement would mean that the investment, construction and running costs would be entirely met by the private sector, following Blackpool Council and Lancashire Combined County Authority鈥檚 previous work and funding to assemble the land.
The new data centre will form the first phase of Silicon Sands, a new business park designed to attract technology and digital companies to the area, creating new, well-paid jobs for residents.
Outline planning permission has already been granted for the sustainability-focussed data centre along with a 20,000 sq ft office and research space, with a 6MW electrical supply offer from SP Electricity North West.
The council believes that Silicon Sands could support thousands of high-value jobs across the region both directly and indirectly, through investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) data infrastructure, renewable energy and innovation led growth.
The location for Silicon Sands, Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone, also has access to substantial power infrastructure. This includes an additional 32MVA primary substation currently under construction by SP Electricity North West, plans for on-site solar power and future opportunities to connect to renewable energy sources such as offshore wind farms in the Irish Sea.
鈥疌llr Mark Smith, Blackpool Council鈥檚 Cabinet Member for Economy and Built Environment, said: 鈥淭his is a huge step forward for the future of Blackpool and showing the UK that data centres can create jobs and also tackle the climate emergency.
鈥淪ilicon鈥疭ands is a transformational opportunity not just for Blackpool, but for Lancashire as a whole. It has the potential to attract significant investment, create thousands of well-paid jobs and establish our region as a leader in sustainable digital infrastructure.
鈥淭his project is about more than just data centres. We鈥檙e working with responsible suppliers to develop energy-efficient data centres that are also environmentally friendly by using renewable energy, innovative cooling technology and a district heat network to maximise energy use and reduce waste heat.
鈥淏lackpool is becoming a leader in green technology with Silicon Sands leading the way in making the entire data industry more environmentally friendly, all while creating skilled jobs for local people. It鈥檚 all part of our plan to make Blackpool better for the people who live here.鈥�
As well as having available green energy, the site has a strong internet conntection, with the CeltixConnect-2 cable at Blackpool Airport offering the fastest connection in the UK, sending a third of the world鈥檚 internet traf颅fic between the US and the UK in less than 0.064 seconds. This positions the Fylde Coast as a leading location for sustainable data centres and digital innovation, the council says.
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