British power producer Drax announced on November 3, 2026, that it has agreed to develop a strategic partnership with Brookfield and its AI infrastructure platform Radiant to build a large data-center campus at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire. The companies are targeting more than one gigawatt of eventual computing capacity, although the project is not yet approved or under construction.

The proposal would exploit an established industrial estate with approximately four gigawatts of grid access, 2.6 gigawatts of dispatchable generation capacity and nearby fiber connectivity. These figures describe existing electrical infrastructure, not computing equipment already installed at the site.

The first phase targets up to 100 megawatts of computing capacity and commercial operations from the first quarter of 2028. Drax says that initial phase would import electricity directly from the national grid. A second phase could add another 500 megawatts between 2028 and 2031, while later expansion beyond 2031 could push the total above one gigawatt.

Brookfield estimates potential investment exceeding £20 billion, including semiconductor chips and computing equipment. Approximately £2.5 billion is associated with the first phase. Neither figure represents completed spending or a binding commitment to construct every phase.

The arrangement places a new emphasis on electrical interconnection, a critical constraint for AI infrastructure. BitcoinVersus.Tech has covered Vantage’s transformer capacity reservation, Enphase’s 800V conversion test and higher-voltage rack power architectures. The Drax proposal addresses an earlier problem: securing a site with utility-scale power access before servers can be deployed.

The partners still need planning, regulatory and network approvals, an acceptable anchor tenant, commercial agreements and final investment decisions. Drax is preparing a planning application and expects public consultation to begin this month. Radiant would lead design and customer engagement, while Drax would manage land, grid integration and planning.

Environmental questions remain central. Drax’s existing station burns biomass, and its climate claims have drawn scrutiny. The planned data center’s first phase would draw from the grid, so its electricity supply and associated emissions should not be described as exclusively biomass-powered. The project’s actual construction, tenant commitments and measured operating load will determine how closely its eventual impact matches today’s ambitions.

Editor’s Note: This report distinguishes confirmed announcements from project targets and estimates. Information is subject to revision as further documentation becomes available.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment, legal or engineering advice.