Colt planning 50MW West London campus

Colt is reportedly planning to build a new data center campus in Hayes, West London, after receiving approval for the project in April. The proposal will see the development of the former Optimum Data Centre, neighboring Tudor Works and Veetec Motor Group facilities, into a new data center campus. It will also see an investment of ‘more than £100 million’ ($120.5m).

According to reports, the company was granted permission to demolish the Optimum facility last year, in order to make way for a new purpose-built 50MW 2.1-hectare data center campus known as “London 4.” Moreover, filings show that the company intends to construct two data center buildings on the land, with “associated energy and electricity infrastructure, buildings, and plant,” which will span 38,355 sqm (412,850 sq ft).

Reports reveal that the proposal also includes a wall-mounted solar panel array and Bio Solar Panels on the roofs to provide 120 sqm (1,291 sq ft)of solar panel coverage. Work is due to commence on the first building this year, with a view to completing the project by 2023, while the second is expected to begin in 2024 and be complete by the following year.

These announcements come in the wake of the Greater London Authority’s grim warnings over electricity capacity in West London. According to ComputerWeekly, the infrastructure assessment as part of the planning process even concluded that there was “insufficient electrical capacity to meet the requirements of the new data center.” Colt, however, has agreed to fund the “reinforcement” of a local electricity substation, as well as the costs of new cables at a substation closer to the proposed facility. These upgrades, however, will take four years to complete, but when complete will provide “additional capacity for other users and allow expansion into the 2030s.”