Sembcorp Wilton International Data Centre (phase 1), former Invista site, Wilton
Digital Reef
Full planning permission granted on 29 October 2026 (delegated decision) for phase 1 of a data centre campus at Wilton International near Redcar: data centre buildings with power, communications and support buildings, backup generators and storage tanks. The joint venture of Digital Reef and Sembcorp says phase 1 provides up to 280MW for AI and high-performance computing. EIA was screened out in April 2026.
Reality Score
Early stage: worth a watching brief.
Supplying this project? See the Market Entry Sprint →Key facts
- Operator / developer
- Digital Reef
- Location
- Former Invista Site, Land at Wilton International, Redcar, North East, United Kingdom
- Status
- Approved
- Facility type
- Data centre
- AI relevance
- High — AI/compute led
- Floor area
- 75,000 m²
- Construction jobs
- 1,000
- Permanent jobs
- 200
Power & grid
- Grid connection
- Applicant says power comes from available capacity at the existing Greystones substation to the south, with cables through existing service corridors (Place North East, May 2026). Wilton International has the UK's largest private-wire grid and four on-site generation units (Sembcorp). No connection offer or MVA figure published.
- Power
- Up to 280MW for phase 1 (Sembcorp/Place North East); whether this is IT load or grid demand is not stated.
- Water
- Roof rainwater to be reused in the cooling systems (Planning Statement).
- Cooling
- Air-based cooling using outside air with evaporative cooling for most hours; air-to-water chiller for exceptional conditions (Planning Statement).
Planning
- Planning route
- Local planning (TCPA)
- Planning reference
- R/2026/0337/FFM
- Planning decision
- Full planning permission granted 29 Oct 2026 (delegated decision, R/2026/0337/FFM); decision notice not read
- Decision date
- 29 October 2026
- Land area
- 15.5 ha
Benefits vs drawbacks
Benefits
Timeline
Sources
- R/2026/0337/FFM: data centre campus, former Invista site, Wilton International (Approved)
Secondary source · Redcar and Cleveland Council (primary) · 2026-10-29
- R/2026/0183/SC: EIA screening opinion (EIA not required)
Secondary source · Redcar and Cleveland Council (primary) · 2026-04-01
- Planning Statement
Secondary source · Heatons for the applicants (primary) · 2026-05-08
- Sembcorp Energy UK announces Phase 1 of Wilton International Data Centre
Secondary source · Sembcorp Energy UK (primary, operator) · 2026-05-19
- Plans in for phase one of Sembcorp's 1m sq ft Teesside data centre
Secondary source · Place North East (secondary) · 2026-05-19
- Singapore's Sembcorp submits planning application for 280MW data center in Teesside, UK
Secondary source · DCD (secondary) · 2026-05-21
Last verified
5 November 2026
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