Dumfries and Galloway
Council area in south-west Scotland, administrative centre Dumfries.
Dumfries and Galloway holds Britain's largest single data-centre grid request: CX Tech's 1,000 MW bid for a campus near Chapelcross, reported in late September 2026. When the council can rule on it depends on national guidance.
Last refreshed: 18 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Dumfries and Galloway
Mentioned in: GB Grid opens self-build to data centres
Data Centres: Boom and BacklashBackground
Dumfries and Galloway is one of Scotland's 32 council areas, in the south-west of the country. Dumfries serves as its administrative centre and largest town. It is now the planning authority for CX Tech's proposed data-centre campus near Chapelcross.
The area covers about 6,426 km² of the western Southern Uplands, making it the third largest Scottish council area by size. About 145,490 people lived there in 2025. It takes in the historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire.
That application, lodged at the end of September 2026, seeks consent for eight data centres of 120 MW apiece. The Chapelcross proposal puts the region at the centre of Scotland's argument over whether to consent hyperscale data centres at all.
The council area holds a record request
A rural council area of about 145,490 people became home to the biggest data-centre power request in Britain's connection queue in late September 2026. CX Tech asked for 1,000 MW for a campus near the old Chapelcross nuclear station, a record by City AM's count, reported in The Week the UK government announced GB Grid. CX Tech's application went to Dumfries and Galloway Council, and the developer expects around 450 permanent jobs if the campus runs.
The council's hands are tied for now. In September the Scottish Parliament backed, 80 to 26, a stop on data-centre planning and consent decisions until national guidance is issued. Until then, planning rather than wiring decides whether the region gets the campus.
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 18 October 2026. Editorial standards.