Data centres are very energy-intensive, using cooling power and creating heat. The project is described as “environmentally sensitive”. It will look at recycling excess energy to be used locally and about half its power will come from local wind farms and a bio-mass plant.

Lockerbie Data Centres project director David King (right)  said: “This is a major enterprise programme that will be of considerable benefit, not only to Dumfries and Galloway, but to the whole of Scotland, creating thousands of jobs.”

Data Centres in themselver however are not generally creators of high employment according to Onyx Group CEO, Neil Stephenson who is on record that his centres are staffed with "between 5-10 people."

There are more than 30 schemes to purpose build Data centres currently planned across Europe, at a capital cost of £6.2bn, according to consultant CB Richard Ellis.