The Government is accelerating the delivery of AI to drive economic growth and make the UK a global ‘AI superpower’. Drax power station is uniquely placed to help deliver that ambition.
Our vision
Our vision is to develop AI infrastructure at Drax that supports the UK’s digital future while creating skilled jobs and investment in Yorkshire and the Humber. By hosting a data centre on our site, we can power AI directly with reliable, low-carbon electricity, while continuing to support the stability and security of the national grid.
The potential to combine this with carbon removal technology creates the opportunity to build the world’s first carbon negative data centre right here, in Yorkshire, and ensure Drax can continue to support our region’s economy through good jobs and community support.
Why it’s important
AI demand is growing globally; from simple requests on AI chatbots, through to preventing banking frauds or supporting heath care decisions, it is increasingly becoming part of everyday life. Data centres play a critical role, providing the physical infrastructure that houses the powerful computers needed to process AI requests.
It’s important that we have more data centres here in the UK or we risk falling behind on tech innovation, investment and jobs. Without them we also risk becoming dependent on foreign AI infrastructure with higher exposure to cyber security threats.
As demand for AI grows so does the need for reliable, low-carbon energy. We’re already seeing demand for electricity increase, with data centres requiring as much power as a small town and are forecast to be the fastest growing source of energy demand over the next decade, adding strain to the grid.
One of the best ways to tackle this challenge is to look at existing energy infrastructure, like Drax Power Station as a strategic advantage. The power station was built to handle large amounts of power safely, has existing grid connections and the infrastructure for industrial scale operations, alongside an experienced workforce and existing supply chains to support new developments.
Locating a data centre at Drax Power Station is one of the fastest and most credible ways to support large new electricity demand. It allows us to re-use and re-purpose existing infrastructure, where energy can be supplied directly on site, taking pressure off the grid and avoiding expensive and disruptive new infrastructure elsewhere. In tandem the power station can continue to provide flexible, on demand electricity to balance out intermittent renewables and keep supply secure.
By providing both power to a data centre and continuing to contribute to the energy security of the UK power system, we can support economic growth in this important sector while also providing local jobs, skills and investment.
Looking ahead
This vision builds on our transformation from coal to sustainable biomass and is compatible with our ambition to deliver carbon removal technology – bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). This in turn could potentially create the world’s first carbon negative data centre. It’s a bold ambition to combine clean energy, digital innovation and regional growth.
We are preparing a planning application to support the first phase of this project – a <100MW data centre on land identified at Drax Power Station. The data centre would use an existing grid connection, previously used to support coal powered generation, allowing a data centre to import power directly from the grid. This could support the operation of a data centre at Drax Power Station by 2027.
Delivering local impact
We have made a public commitment within our Sustainability Framework to partner with our local communities to make a positive contribution to lives and livelihoods.
We have a strong track record of channelling social investment through the Drax Foundation and our Community Fund to support local non-profit organisations and community programmes that address fuel poverty, STEM education and future-ready skills, and nature and community green spaces.
As the Drax Power Station moves into its next phase, we will continue to listen to and work in partnership with our communities, to ensure that we are delivering on our commitments.
