Thames Valley Park Data Centre, Earley
Property investor Mapeley has applied to Wokingham Borough Council for outline permission to replace three office buildings on the Microsoft campus at Thames Valley Park, Earley, with a data centre of 72MW IT load and about 37,000 sqm. Peak demand would be about 110MW, but only 1.8MW of grid supply is available now, so the first phase would run on gas-fed fuel cells until a larger grid connection arrives, expected around 2037. Demolition is planned for 2027 and the first data halls for 2030, with a decision expected by March 2027. The scheme is put at more than £200m. Microsoft is not involved in the proposal and its lease is reported to end in December 2027. A petition against the scheme has several thousand signatures. No operator or tenant is named.
Key facts
- Operator / developer
- Mapeley
- Location
- Microsoft Campus, Thames Valley Park, Earley, RG6 1WG, South East, United Kingdom
- Status
- Proposed
- Facility type
- Data centre
- AI relevance
- Not stated
- Floor area
- 37,000 m²
- Stated investment
- £200,000,000
- Construction jobs
- 245
Power & grid
- Published capacity
- 72 MW — Published IT loadThe IT load the operator or planning documents state the facility will draw.
- 110 MW — Published electrical demandThe total electrical demand stated for the site, including cooling and losses.
- Share of UK tracked capacity
- 2% of published it load
- Network operator
- Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN)
- Grid position
- 60MVA connection secured from SSEN; available from 2037 after transmission reinforcement
- Grid connection
- The applicant's Utilities Statement (September 2026) says a 60MVA connection has been secured from SSEN and that National Grid Transmission has confirmed it will be available from 2037, delivered at 33kV from Reading primary substation by directional drilling under the railway. Until then the site would run on solid oxide fuel cells with a stated capacity of 49.9MW, supplied from a new connection to the high-pressure gas main. The Energy Strategy gives 42.5MW for the fuel cells.
- Power
- 72MW of IT load, with peak demand of about 110MW once cooling and electrical plant are included. The first phase would run on gas-fed fuel cells until the grid connection arrives; a second phase of about 40MW would follow it.
- On-site generation
- Gas-fed solid-oxide fuel cells would power the first phase from about 2028 to 2037: 49.9MW installed, giving about 42.5MW of effective supply (reported from the application). The developer describes them as able to move to biomethane or hydrogen later. Separate generators are proposed for emergency backup.
- Heat reuse
- Waste heat could be exported to a district heat network (reported from the application).
Planning
- Council
- Wokingham Borough Council
- Planning route
- Local planning (TCPA)
- Planning reference
- 262274
- Planning decision
- Outline application submitted in late September 2026; decision expected by March 2027
- Land area
- 5.3 ha
Benefits vs drawbacks
Benefits
- More than £200m of construction investment (developer figure)Source
- Up to 245 construction jobs; the application is reported as supporting 40 to 65 operational jobs (the project website earlier cited at least 115)Source
- Reuses an existing office campus rather than undeveloped landSource
- Biodiversity net gain of 22.69% and possible heat export to a district heat networkSource
Drawbacks
- Would run on gas-fed fuel cells until about 2037 because only 1.8MW of grid supply is available nowSource
- The application's environmental assessment is reported as finding significant adverse effects on greenhouse gas emissionsSource
- Data halls up to about 100ft (30m) highSource
- A petition against the scheme has several thousand signatures, and residents and a local councillor have objectedSource
- No operator or tenant is namedSource
Timeline
Reality Score
Sources
- Thames Valley Park Data Centre
Secondary source · Project team
- Thousands sign petition against proposed data centre
Secondary source · BBC News
- Data centre planned for Microsoft UK HQ at Thames Valley Park
Secondary source · BBC News
- Data Centre Proposed For Site Of Microsoft's UK Headquarters
Secondary source · Silicon UK (secondary) · 2026-10-07
- Microsoft campus datacentre to rely on gas fuel cells until 2037
Secondary source · Computer Weekly (secondary) · 2026-10-06
- Microsoft UK's Thames Valley Park campus could be redeveloped as a gas-powered data center
Secondary source · DCD (secondary) · 2026-07-02
- Utilities Statement, Thames Valley Park Data Centre (Tyrens Hilson Moran for FH Trustees, rev P02, 22 September 2026); copy hosted by Planning Geek
Secondary source
Last verified
7 October 2026
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