Plans have been lodged for a major new data centre development in Hemel Hempstead, as Amazon looks to further expand its digital infrastructure footprint outside London.
The proposal is for a purpose-built data centre building with roof-level plant, alongside an emergency generator compound, a security building and new internal access roads. If fully developed, the site data centre will have an estimated footprint of 20,840 sqft, or 1,935 sqm.
While Amazon has previously committed to spending £8 billion on data centres in the UK, this latest proposal is notable because of how it is being positioned. That’s because as the industry chases AI-ready data centres that consume masses of power and water, Amazon is intending to use its Hemel Hempstead site for long-term data storage using tape media. That should mean its thirst for local utilities should be much lower.
That distinction may matter locally. Data centres often draw scrutiny over electricity demand, generator testing regimes, and plant noise – particularly where schemes include substantial rooftop equipment and standby generation. The demand for electricity is one of the key things that recently sank a planned data centre in Edinburgh, with locals more wary about the impact data centres have on them than ever before.
Amazon is trying to get in front of any concerns the local community may have when it comes to the data centre’s impact. The plans call for a chilled-water cooling system, relying on free-cooling for the majority of the year, while the site’s backup generators will be powered using HVO. Additionally, an 8.55kW solar system is planned on the site – although even with the lower energy demands of a tape storage facility, that is unlikely to power the entire site.
The planning application with Dacorum Borough Council is set to enter consultation next month, with a decision likely to be made later this year. Amazon is also waiting on another council to decide whether it gets to proceed with its proposals for a data centre at the former Didcot A Power Station site in Oxfordshire. That application should also be decided later this year.
