Sam Heughan joins battle against Chapelcross data centre
Outlander star Sam Heughan has joined the campaign against plans to build a giant data centre at a former nuclear site in the south of Scotland.
Outlander star Sam Heughan has joined the campaign against plans to build a giant data centre at a former nuclear site in the south of Scotland.
In an interview on Sam & Alexis Weekdays on Channel 5, Heughan said he had only recently found out about the data centre planned in Dumfries and Galloway - one of a large number planned across Scotland.
The Scottish government has rejected a call from the Scottish Greens for the application processes for data centres to be paused until new national guidelines are in force.
Dumfries and Galloway Council confirmed that due to the "significant volume" of representations it has received it will not publish them online in the usual way to reduce pressure on its planning service.
He said it could create a "new economic future" for a site which had played an important role in Scotland's energy story for generations.
It said the project was in line with attempts to redevelop the site and could support up to 750 jobs during construction and about 540 once it was operational.
The actor - who grew up in Galloway - questioned how much financial benefit projects like the one at Chapelcross, near Annan, would deliver to Scotland.
CX Tech Ltd, which is behind the plans, said it could deliver more than 500 full-time posts and represented a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" for the region.
He said the actual number of jobs delivered after the construction phase had been completed would be "very few".
The plans for Chapelcross were lodged last month and have already attracted considerable opposition.
What happened
Outlander star Sam Heughan has joined the campaign against plans to build a giant data centre at a former nuclear site in the south of Scotland.
In an interview on Sam & Alexis Weekdays on Channel 5, Heughan said he had only recently found out about the data centre planned in Dumfries and Galloway - one of a large number planned across Scotland.
What changed
The Scottish government has rejected a call from the Scottish Greens for the application processes for data centres to be paused until new national guidelines are in force.
Dumfries and Galloway Council confirmed that due to the "significant volume" of representations it has received it will not publish them online in the usual way to reduce pressure on its planning service.
Who is affected
He said it could create a "new economic future" for a site which had played an important role in Scotland's energy story for generations.
It said the project was in line with attempts to redevelop the site and could support up to 750 jobs during construction and about 540 once it was operational.
Why it matters
The actor - who grew up in Galloway - questioned how much financial benefit projects like the one at Chapelcross, near Annan, would deliver to Scotland.
CX Tech Ltd, which is behind the plans, said it could deliver more than 500 full-time posts and represented a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" for the region.
Attribution
BBC News: Outlander star Sam Heughan has joined the campaign against plans to build a giant data centre at a former nuclear site in the south of Scotland.