Blackstone is bidding to build a hyperscale data centre campus on a brownfield site in northern England, according to documents released by Northumberland County Council.
The County Council said it was considering a transaction for the plot with funds managed by Blackstone, concerning the Northumberland Energy Park (NEP3) land site in Cambois.
Previous plans for the currently derelict site included the construction of a electric vehicle battery factory. However, the proposal fell through when UK start-up Britishvolt went into administration in January 2023.
Council Leader, Cllr Glen Sanderson said: 'Driving growth and jobs is a key priority for this council. Next week, cabinet will consider this really unique opportunity for Northumberland which offers a huge boost to the regeneration and renaissance of the local area.
'The project would represent a significant inward investment of up to £10 bn (€12 bn), putting our County at the forefront of developments in the digital economy, and delivering over 1,600 direct jobs, including 1,200 long-term construction jobs, and over 2,700 indirect jobs over the course of the development.
'If agreed, the Council would receive up to £110 mln in exchange for amending the buy-back option on the NEP3 land site, and use the proceeds to establish a fund which will drive investment, including in the economic corridor along our fantastic, new Northumberland Line.
'Through the Council’s investment company, Advance, we have worked tirelessly to make this site such an attractive place for global companies to do business. We look forward to considering this opportunity at Cabinet next week.'
Documents show that Blackstone has already held preliminary talks with local and national power providers about securing the energy to manage the data centre site.
'Blackstone and (data centre arm) QTS have the capital, expertise and track record required to deliver on growing demand for data centre infrastructure,' a Blackstone spokesperson told Reuters.
