Sites / Microsoft Skelton Grange
Microsoft Skelton Grange
Microsoft · proposed · Leeds City Council
Three data halls on the former Skelton Grange coal power station site at Stourton. Leeds Plans Panel resolved to grant application 25/06139/FU in April 2026 (reported in the press and by Harworth). We still list the site as proposed until we can link the live council planning page. Power draw is not disclosed in materials reviewed so far.
Stated size
Not disclosed
No megawatt figure in materials reviewed
Operators often omit a megawatt figure. Map circles then use site area instead. Stated size is not electricity use.
Site area
48 acres
ex-industrial / brownfield Operator
What was here: Former 800 MW Skelton Grange coal power station site
Water
Not disclosed
No annual water figure in materials reviewed
Equivalences
No operator on this map discloses expected load factor (the share of peak power used on average), so yearly electricity figures are shown as a range, not as a known total.
- Water: Water use: not disclosed
- Site area: 27.3 football pitches
Grid connection
Associated energy, power and water infrastructure included in the hybrid application description; megawatt figure not disclosed in sources reviewed so far. Planning
- New substation: not stated
- Overhead line upgrades: not stated
Cooling
Outside-air cooling referenced in operator/promoter materials Operator
Claims on record
-
“100% renewable energy in data centres”
Microsoft · deadline 2030 · status: no public data
Source: Microsoft public sustainability commitments for data centres (site-specific evidence not published)
-
“Diesel-free backup by 2030”
Microsoft · deadline 2030 · status: no public data
Source: Microsoft public sustainability commitments (site-specific evidence not published)
Disclosure checklist
- Stated size (MW): not disclosed
- Water: not disclosed
- Power usage effectiveness (PUE): not disclosed
- Energy source claim: on record
- Load factor: not disclosed
Plain checklist, no aggregate score.
Right of reply
Right of reply: open; no response received. Email marco@prismaticlabs.ai. Subject is prefilled. Or see methodology.
Timeline
- 2024-06: Harworth completes Plot 1 sale to Microsoft (27 acres, £51.2m gross)
- 2026-04-23: Leeds City Council Plans Panel resolution to grant hybrid application 25/06139/FU (unanimous), delegated subject to S106. (BBC report dated 24 April covers the Thursday 23 April panel.)
Sources
- Harworth resolution-to-grant announcement (ref 25/06139/FU)
- BBC — Leeds unanimous approval report
- Leeds City Council planning search (locate 25/06139/FU) (Direct link to the live Leeds planning page still to be confirmed; verify documents and page numbers before treating acreage or power as planning-document basis)
Planning application reference on record: 25/06139/FU. Link to the live council page not yet verified.
Map point: longitude -1.496, latitude 53.772. Last reviewed 2026-07-15.