New AI data centre being enabled by Coal Authority permits

The Coal Authority’s permitting team have been supporting the development of a new AI data centre being built in Cambois, North East England.

The project, being developed by Blackstone and built by Renaissance Land Limited, is set to be the largest new artificial intelligence (AI) data centre in Europe, expected to create 1600 jobs and generate inward investment worth multi-billion pounds.

As the site is located on the coalfield, the Coal Authority have supported with site inspections to enable a permit that allows developers to carry out multiple types of ground investigations, including gas and groundwater monitoring and sampling.

These inspections provide reassurances that where the works come into contact with coal, adequate controls are in place to ensure public safety.

Riwilo Masulani, Principal Permitting Manager at the Coal Authority said:

We’ve recently been working to make this process streamlined for developers, so development on the coalfield can happen efficiently and safely.

To reflect these changes we have updated our permitting terms and conditions to make the process much simpler.

This includes a capped limit on indemnity, reduced insurance requirements and recognised arrangements for public sector bodies who are required to comply with HM Treasury guidelines.

The changes follow a series of workshops held in 2023 and 2024, which provided valuable feedback from customers on the permitting process, demonstrating the Coal Authority’s commitment to listen and learn from its stakeholders.