businessBREAKING
Drax Proposes £20 Billion Datacentre at Its Biomass Power Station
Drax proposes a £20 billion datacentre at its North Yorkshire biomass power station with Brookfield and Radiant.
Key points
- The first phase would deliver up to 100MW of capacity by early 2028, backed by a proposed £2.5 billion investment.
- The first phase still requires planning permission, regulatory and network approvals, commercial agreements and final investment decisions.
- Drax CEO Will Gardiner said the project could help secure the long-term future of the site and protect hundreds of jobs.
Why it matters. The £20 billion figure is more ambition than actual money at this stage, and the project may depend on a tenant, planning approval and ministerial agreement.
Drax has proposed a £20 billion datacentre at its North Yorkshire biomass power station with Brookfield and Radiant, a plan announced on Tuesday. The first phase would deliver up to 100MW by early 2028, backed by a proposed £2.5 billion investment, with a second phase adding 500MW between 2028 and 2031. Drax CEO Will Gardiner said the project could help secure the site's long-term future and protect hundreds of jobs. The first phase still needs planning permission, approvals, commercial agreements and a tenant.
Latest updates
Drax Proposes £20 Billion Datacentre at Its Biomass Power Station
Drax, the operator of Britain's largest biomass power station, has unveiled plans for a £20 billion datacentre development at the site. The facility would be capable of consuming more than a gigawatt of power. Drax announced the proposal on Tuesday. The project still requires planning permission and government approval. A customer has also not yet been secured, according to The Register. The plans reflect demand for AI infrastructure in Britain, though the timing and approval process remain uncertain.
Drax Plant Set to Power UK's Largest AI Datacentre in £20bn Deal
Drax, the owner of the Drax power station, has struck a £20bn deal to build infrastructure at the site. The company describes the agreement as the next chapter for the site. The plan would see the plant's power used to supply what would be the UK's largest AI datacentre. Drax has been widely criticised as the UK's most polluting power plant, which makes the shift notable. The deal is among the biggest recent investment announcements tied to AI infrastructure in Britain. Details of the timeline and delivery of the project have yet to be confirmed.
Drax Unveils £20bn Plan for Data Centre at North Yorkshire Power Plant
Energy company Drax has unveiled plans to build a data centre valued at £20bn at the site of its North Yorkshire power plant. The plant at Selby currently generates electricity by burning wood pellets as fuel. The proposal positions the former coal-to-biomass site as a location for large-scale digital infrastructure. Drax has not, in the available reporting, set out a detailed timetable for the development. Questions are likely to focus on how the data centre would be powered, given the rising electricity demand of such facilities. Further details, including planning and financing, are expected as the proposal develops.