Newarthill residents: Oakes Energy's AI data center became a scam

Residents of the village of Newarthill in Lanarkshire, east of Glasgow, told The Guardian in July 2026 how Oakes Energy Services promised them life transformation through a major AI data center complex in late 2025 — but instead of promised jobs and "green" technologies, people risked losing their homes and protected green belt.

What Oakes Energy Services Promised

In late 2025, representatives of Oakes Energy Services began going door-to-door in Newarthill. Residents were invited to individual meetings where they were told about plans to build a solar farm. According to locals, the company made specific offers: free solar panels, tree planting, or direct property buyouts in cash.

The project was presented as part of the British initiative to create "AI Growth Zones" — a government program aimed at attracting investment in AI infrastructure throughout the country. Residents were told about "jobs of the future" and large-scale investments that would transform life in Lanarkshire.

What Went Wrong?

Reality turned out to be different. According to The Guardian, the AI data center complex in Lanarkshire has no real chance of fulfilling promises regarding renewable energy — a key condition on which the entire concept of the "green" project was built.

Key facts:

• Residents of Newarthill in late 2025 were individually invited to meetings with representatives of Oakes Energy Services
• The company offered solar panels, tree planting, or home buyouts
• Promised jobs and investments in the village never materialized
• Protected green belt around Newarthill faces threat of development
• The project does not meet stated renewable energy requirements

Residents describe what happened as a "smokescreen": public promises masked the real threat — pressure to sell property and develop natural territories.

"It's a smokescreen," say

Newarthill residents about Oakes Energy Services' actions.

What Does This Have to Do with All of Britain?

The situation in Newarthill is not an isolated case. The British government has designated special "AI Growth Zones" across the country, where large-scale investment in data center construction is planned. The idea is to turn Great Britain into a world leader in AI infrastructure.

However, critics are already calling some such projects "complete nonsense": ambitious in rhetoric, but unrealizable in terms of energy supply, logistics, and social consensus. The question of who will protect the interests of local communities in the race for AI investment remains open.

What This Means

Newarthill's story is a warning for the entire wave of AI infrastructure construction: promises of jobs and "green" technologies must be backed by legally binding guarantees and transparent dialogue with local communities. Without this, "AI Growth Zones" risk repeating the mistakes of past industrial waves — with environmental damage and displacement of residents.