Drax Proposes 1GW Data Center Campus at Former Yorkshire Coal Plant

Drax Explores Major Data Center Conversion at Selby Power Station December 11, 2025 In a significant move that underscores the convergence of energy transition and digital infrastructure, UK power generation company Drax Group is exploring plans to convert part of its former coal-fired power station in Selby, Yorkshire, into a massive data center campus with a potential capacity of up to 1 gigawatt (GW). The initiative represents a strategic pivot for the company, leveraging existing grid connections and site infrastructure to meet soaring demand for compute power, particularly from artificial intelligence. According to a trading update released by the company, Drax is preparing a planning application for an initial phase of the project—a data center of about 100MW on land at the Drax Power Station site. This initial phase could be operational as early as 2027. The company stated, "Drax is preparing a planning application to support the potential option for a first phase data centre of about 100MW on land identified at Drax Power Station." The broader vision involves developing the site into a campus with a total capacity of 1GW, though this larger project would likely require external partners and is not expected to come online until after 2031. The Selby site is home to the UK's largest biomass power plant, a 2.6GW facility that accounts for approximately five percent of the country's electricity. Drax recently secured an agreement with the UK government to keep the biomass station running from 2027 to 2031. The company has indicated it is seeking partnerships with data center operators, noting it has received "positive engagement with data center providers regarding the potential to co-locate a data center with biomass generation." This model could offer a compelling proposition for operators seeking a stable, on-site power source with sustainability credentials, though Drax's biomass supply chain has faced scrutiny in the past. This project is emblematic of a broader industry trend where energy companies and data center developers are forming closer alliances. Repurposing former fossil fuel plants with robust grid connections is becoming an attractive option to rapidly deploy large-scale computing capacity, especially in markets with constrained power networks. If realized, the 1GW Drax campus would be one of the largest single-site data center developments in Europe, marking a major step in the industrial transformation of Yorkshire and the UK's digital infrastructure landscape. Source: datacenterdynamics