Drax Group is set to transform its historic Selby Power Station in North Yorkshire into a massive digital infrastructure hub, leveraging legacy infrastructure to meet the booming power demands of artificial intelligence. The company is currently preparing a planning application for an initial phase that could be operational as early as 2027, with long-term ambitions to expand the site to over 1 gigawatt (GW).
By repurposing the land, cooling systems, and high-voltage grid connections from its former coal-fired operations, Drax can bypass the years-long queues for new electricity connections that typically stall such projects. This pivot is a cornerstone of Drax’s strategy to reinvest up to £2 billion into growth projects through 2031, positioning the energy giant as a key "infrastructure partner" for global tech developers seeking reliable, large-scale power in the UK.
The proposed data center will initially use the national grid, with the potential to switch to Drax’s on-site power in later phases, pending regulatory approval.
| Distance | Site | About |
|---|---|---|
| 0.45 miles | Drax: Selby 1 |
Drax Group is set to transform its historic Selby Power Station in North Yorkshire into a massive digital infrastructure hub, leveraging legacy infrastructure to meet the booming power demands of artificial intelligence.
|
| 5.90 miles | GlobalInterested in this information?Contact us | Data center facility details are available on request.Interested in this information?Contact us |
| 11.81 miles | Energy Data CenterInterested in this information?Contact us | Data center facility details are available on request.Interested in this information?Contact us |
| 15.38 miles | Simulant: York |
Located in the heart of York at Popeshead Court, the Simulant Data Center is a specialized, regional facility operated by Simulant Systems Ltd.
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| 15.80 miles | Rivington Energy: Conesby 2 |
This facility is part of Rivington Energy's Conesby Data Centre Campus in Lincolnshire, UK.
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| 15.86 miles | Rivington Energy: Conesby 1 |
The Conesby Data Centre Campus in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, is a pioneering 20-acre co-located development by Rivington Energy designed specifically to support high-density AI and cloud computing workloads.
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| 16.86 miles | nLighten Leeds (Wakefield) |
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| 16.86 miles | Deep Green: York DG02 |
Deep Green is building a data center in York, United Kingdom. The facility, known as DG02, is a modular data center located at the Monks Cross Leisure Park in Huntington.
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| 17.18 miles | Node4: Leeds |
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| 17.37 miles | iomart: DC11 York |
The iomart DC11 York data center became part of the iomart network in September 2018 through the acquisition of the York-based hosting provider Bytemark.
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| 17.37 miles | Bytemark YO26 |
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| 19.82 miles | C.C.S. DC14 - Leeds | |
| 19.99 miles | Virgin Media Leeds (Temple House) |
Drax Group is a renewable energy company engaged in renewable power generation, the production of sustainable biomass and the sale of renewable electricity to businesses.
Drax operates a generation portfolio of sustainable biomass, hydro-electric and pumped hydro storage assets across four sites in England and Scotland. It is the UK’s largest source of renewable electricity. The company also operates a global bioenergy supply business with manufacturing facilities at 13 sites in the United States and Canada, producing compressed wood pellets for its own use and for customers in Europe and Asia.
The Group employs 3,400 people in the UK and North America.
Enabling a zero carbon, lower cost energy future is Drax Group’s purpose and in 2019, it announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technology to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere at scale whilst delivering reliable renewable electricity.
November 03, 2026 Drax Group
Drax Group will develop up to 1GW of data center capacity at its North Yorkshire power station with Brookfield and Radiant. The deal was announced on Nov. 3. Brookfield estimates investment in the site could exceed £20 billion ($26.8 billion), including £2.5 billion for the first phase. Phase one...
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