Drax, Brookfield and Radiant plan AI data center in Yorkshire

Drax said it had signed an agreement with Brookfield and Radiant to jointly develop an AI data center at the Drax Power Station estate in North Yorkshire.[1] The project is planned for the north of England.[1] Brookfield estimates total investment could exceed £20 billion ($26.8 billion), including spending on semiconductors, and puts the initial investment for the first phase at £2.5 billion.[1] These are estimates and a development agreement, not a final investment commitment.[1]

The first phase is intended to provide up to 100 megawatts of capacity and is targeted to become operational in the first quarter of 2028.[1] Drax said it is aimed at commercial customers from early 2028.[1] A further 500 megawatts is planned to come online between 2028 and 2031.[1] The broader ambition is to secure more than 1 gigawatt of capacity at the site, but no date has been specified for reaching that target.[1] The phases and target dates are plans, rather than confirmed delivery milestones.[1]

The first phase is planned to use power from the grid.[1] Drax said it depends on planning, regulatory and network approvals, as well as securing a tenant.[1] Drax also said final investment decisions had not yet been made.[1] For teams assessing the proposal, those conditions are central: the stated capacity and schedule do not by themselves confirm that the project will proceed on the proposed timetable.[1] The first phase’s commercial-customer target is early 2028.[1]

CNBC placed the proposal in the context of Europe’s effort to build AI infrastructure amid high energy and land costs, and reported that the U.S. had moved ahead of Europe in developing large AI data centers.[1] It also reported that the U.K. has faced high energy costs and long waits for businesses seeking grid connections.[1] Microsoft had pulled out of a deal to anchor an Nscale data center near London amid power-grid connection delays, CNBC reported.[1] The Nordics benefit from abundant power and available land, while Finland has seen major data-center commitments; Google said in September it would invest at least 13 billion euros in AI infrastructure there.[1]