No approval for Alderney data centre - government

No plans have been approved to build a data centre on Alderney, despite recent claims, the island's government has said.

The States of Alderney said in July it wanted to explore the idea of building a centre after an independent feasibility study found one would be "economically transformational".

But members of the Policy and Finance Committee said no centre had yet been approved, "no developer has been appointed, no site has been selected, and no development agreement has been entered into".

It said the work undertaken thus far was "exploratory" and was intended to establish whether there was a "credible opportunity sufficiently beneficial to Alderney to warrant further consideration".

The committee said, when considering any "significant economic opportunity", the States Committees and the civil service must undertake appropriate work to establish its feasibility before any substantive decision can reasonably be considered.

That included commissioning feasibility studies, engaging with potential investors or developers, considering possible locations and entering into preliminary arrangements.

It said: "None of these steps constitutes approval of a project.

"Commissioning a feasibility study is not approving development, receiving a proposal is not accepting it, considering a potential location is not selecting a site."

It added that, if there was a "credible proposition", a public consultation would take place before any decision to proceed, and there was "no predetermined outcome".

The committee said States members were free to scrutinise, challenge and oppose proposals, but any breach was "highly damaging and risks undermining public confidence, damaging the reputation of the States, and discouraging businesses, investors and professional advisers from engaging openly with Alderney".

It said: "We remain committed to open and robust scrutiny, proper democratic process and the standards of good governance expected of the States of Alderney.

"Those principles protect the public interest, the integrity of the States and the confidence of organisations considering engaging with Alderney."

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