Drax Group (Drax), a renewable and flexible generation energy company, has partnered with Brookfield Corporation (Brookfield), an investment management company, and Radiant, a vertically integrated AI infrastructure company, to develop a large scale data center campus at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire, in a project that could attract over £20 billion (US$ 27 billion) in investment.
According to a Drax press release, the proposed development would use the existing 1,000 acre power station site, which has 4 GW of grid access and 2.6 GW of active dispatchable generation capacity. Its existing cooling infrastructure and proximity to the UK’s fiber network are also expected to support the development.
The development is planned in three phases, beginning with a 100 MW data center facility, backed by a potential £2.5 billion (US$ 3.3 billion) investment. Phase one is expected to become operational in the first quarter of 2028, subject to planning permission, regulatory and grid approvals, and securing a tenant.
Meanwhile, phase two, will see the development of options for 500 MW of data center capacity between 2028 and 2031. The project is expected to utilise Drax Power Station’s existing generation capabilities to deliver a behind-the-meter distributed energy and management solution, supplying power directly to the data center under a long-term PPA, subject to obtaining the necessary consents.
In phase three, it will develop options for additional data center capacity post 2031, which will utilise the same behind-the-meter solution as Phase two. The project is backed by the Brookfield-Qai AI infrastructure joint venture and a public consultation on the first phase is expected to begin soon.
“This country has a unique opportunity to bring together AI leadership, energy infrastructure and industrial renewal to drive national growth. If constructed in full, this project could become one of the largest data centres in the UK, attracting billions in inward investment, supporting the North’s reindustrialisation and strengthening sovereign AI capability,” said Will Gardiner, CEO, Drax Group. “Drax Power Station is one of the few UK sites that can provide large-scale reliable power directly to data centre customers by utilising existing and underutilised generation capacity.”
The partnership would combine Brookfield’s investment resources and operating capabilities with Drax’s existing energy infrastructure and Radiant’s data center expertise.
Sikander Rashid, head of AI infrastructure, Brookfield, said, “Teaming up with Drax and Qai for this project represents a major opportunity for our AI infrastructure strategy. Our capital and deep operating capabilities will help accelerate the construction of a critical piece of sovereign AI, delivered by Radiant, our UK-headquartered compute infrastructure platform.”
The development would expand the company’s UK computing infrastructure and provide domestic access to advanced computing capacity for researchers, startups and businesses.
Mahdi Yahya, CEO, Radiant, said, “This is a unique opportunity for the UK’s AI ecosystem to build at scale. By designing, building and operating from the UK, it will give British researchers, startups and enterprises access to frontier compute at home. Drax has powered Britain for more than fifty years. Together we can power its AI economy for the next fifty.”
For Qai, a global technology company headquartered in Qatar, the project forms part of the company’s international AI infrastructure strategy.
Abdulla Al-Misnad, Chairman and Managing Director, Qai, said, “This project is a major initiative under the Brookfield-Qai joint venture and forms part of our international AI infrastructure strategy. Drawing on the combined expertise of Qai and Brookfield in developing and managing large-scale critical infrastructure, and with Radiant and Drax delivering the project, we are helping to establish the infrastructure required to support the long-term growth of the UK’s AI ecosystem.”
The announcement comes as the UK government seeks to expand domestic AI infrastructure and attract investment in data centers. Both companies initial assessment indicates that the development aligns with the UK government’s new Data Center Covenant, which aims to accelerate planning approvals and access to electricity for strategically important facilities.