Morgan Stanley and Atlantis Resource Corp. are planning a £250 million - £300 million off-grid data centre, powered by tidal energy in Scotland's Pentland Firth.
It is being said that the project is to begin operations by 2011 and it would require about 150 megawatt hours of power. In order to go ahead with the data centre, the companies still need approval from the Crown Estates, which owns the land, the Scottish government and the Highlands Council.
Atlantis has already indicated that it has been in talks with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) over plans to establish a computer data centre near the Castle of Mey.
As per the plan, the data centre power supply would be provided via a private cable linked to an array of tidal turbines that would generate enough energy to power a city the size of Bristol.
"If you bring industry to northern Scotland you overcome the electricity transmission constraints, while benefiting the environment," said John Woodley, co-head of Morgan Stanley's European and Asian power, gas and related businesses. "Given that datacentres need to be built somewhere, it makes sense to place them as close as possible to renewable energy sources that are currently grid-constrained."
The development has emerged post Atlantis' recent acquisition of Current Resources Ltd, a tidal current energy origination and project development business owned by Morgan Stanley. After this transaction, Morgan Stanley became Atlantis' largest shareholder.
