June 11, 2026
The Gibraltar Government announced its largest ambitious infrastructure project in history on 4 September 2025. Pelagos Data Centres, backed by the local government, unveiled plans for a 250MW off-grid data centre campus near the Port of Gibraltar. The North Mole Industrial Park — a multi-unit commercial and parking complex on North Mole Road in the Westside area — is the proposed location. The project is scheduled in five phases, with the first expected in late 2027. That first phase could deliver anywhere from 1MW to an unspecified higher capacity. The developer claims the facility will feature both liquid and air cooling systems and will be powered independently from Gibraltar’s grid using a mix of renewable energy and liquefied natural gas (LNG). A public leisure facility is also planned on-site. What makes the project unusual is not what it promises, but where and how. Let us examine the land plot location.
UPP Renders: Pictures First, Questions Later
London-based UPP Architects + Town Planners, led by former Foster + Partners architect Miguel Muñoz, produced pre-concept renders of the data centre and public facilities in late 2025. They were presented by Konstantin Sokolov to the Chief Minister, The Hon Fabian Picardo KC MP. The images show three constructions — a promenade, a lower building, and the data centre building itself — all on marine columns built over the water, with a new promenade running along the Waterport Terrace residential complex. High-resolution pictures are available on the government’s website.
Memorial Address Location
The business address of the data centre is listed as Neil Piñero Rd, GX11 1AA, Gibraltar. Neil Piñero Road was formerly known as Emerson’s Place. The name changed in 2020. The road was renamed after Neil Piñero, a 30-year-old customs officer who died at this location in October 2017. He suffered a heart attack while on active duty. Natural causes. But he died at his post. That matters in Gibraltar.
The memorial was unveiled on 3 November 2020 . The ceremony was small. Attending were Piñero’s parents, his sisters, and the Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo . The Chief Minister described the afternoon as “difficult” and “emotional”. He noted that it was “particularly difficult for the family to return to the spot where their son died while on duty that night” .
A memorial plaque now stands on the roadside, closer to the sea. The Customs training centre was also renamed in his honour.
Looking for the Land Plot, not on the Rock but on the Sea
Our team reviewed the UPP drawings and the existing territory of North Mole Industrial Park. We could not find 20,000 square metres of available land at the North Mole territory free of existing constructions. We searched the Town Planning website and found no published information about demolitions of existing buildings.
The proposed construction site is physically enclosed between:
- the Waterport Terraces residential complex;
- freight and logistics unit (Units 1, North Mole, Gibraltar, GX11 1AA)
- freight and logistics unit (Units 3, North Mole, Gibraltar, GX11 1AA)
- freight and logistics unit (Units 5, North Mole, Gibraltar, GX11 1AA)
- freight and logistics unit (Units 6, North Mole, Gibraltar, GX11 1AA)
- the North Mole Power Station – Gibraltar’s main power plant,
- runway of Gibraltar International Airport (Note: Aircraft can approach and land from both directions (from either the east over the Mediterranean Sea or the west over the Bay of Gibraltar), depending entirely on the prevailing wind conditions).
Based on publicly available maps, published renders, and the absence of announced demolitions, we could not identify sufficient existing land to support the stated 20,000 sq m plot.
Our team, based on the renderings and site constraints, estimates that the total marine-adjacent area is approximately 16,000 square metres, including the promenade and all buildings. The actual data centre footprint is closer to 9,000 square metres. The distance to the airport glide path would be reduced by approximately 34 metres, bringing it to less than 100 metres from both the glide path and the runway’s obstacle limitation surfaces.
Gibraltar’s Town Planning: 2009 Rules in a 2025 World
Gibraltar’s 2009 Development Plan is the main legal document governing all construction on the territory. Every project requires planning permission from the Development & Planning Commission. However, the system allows for individual, case-by-case decisions — especially for large developments with government backing. Political support can unlock approvals, even when the formal plan is outdated or silent.
Gibraltar’s Town Planning Department, working with consultants from Lichfields UK, is currently reviewing the existing 2009 Development Plan. A new version was promised for 2025, but it has not yet appeared. For now, the territory continues to operate under the 2009 rules. What will the new plan include? It is supposed to set out the vision, objectives, and strategic policies for Gibraltar over the next 10 to 15 years, covering housing, transport, health, economic strategy, and climate change mitigation.
These policies will provide developers with clear design principles and define the government’s expectations for new development in the Northern District area — including tall buildings, when proposed. Crucially, the current draft does not include the North Mole Industrial Park zone, though some changes may be possible.
Naturally, there is no information about the Pelagos project on the Government Development Projects website. Nothing at all.
Conclusion: Seven Findings
Our team has carefully reviewed the UPP design and the location of existing buildings, and reached the following conclusions:
- We could not find a 20,000 square metre land plot within the North Mole Industrial Park for the data centre.
- We found no information about the demolition or removal of existing structures at North Mole Industrial Park.
- The Neil Piñero Memorial is located within the area examined in this review of the proposed development site.
- The published renders suggest that significant parts of the project would be located on reclaimed land or marine-supported structures.
- The total sea-side area is approximately 16,000 square metres at most, including the promenade and data centre buildings. The distance to the airport glide path is reduced by at least 35 metres.
- Our estimate of the actual data centre building footprint on the water is approximately 9,000 square metres.
- The facility is to be built in immediate proximity to the North Mole Power Plant.