Doha:North Yorkshire Britain's Drax power station is set to become the country's largest data center under a £20 billion ($27 billion) agreement to develop artificial intelligence infrastructure. The project involves infrastructure investor Brookfield and artificial intelligence infrastructure platform Radiant.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, Drax has reached an agreement to develop a data center with an eventual capacity exceeding 1 gigawatt. The first phase of the project is expected to become operational in the first quarter of 2028, providing up to 100 megawatts of computing capacity.

Under the initial plans, Drax will provide land and access to the national electricity grid through existing connections at the site. The company aims to begin supplying electricity directly to the data center by the early 2030s, pending regulatory approval. Drax's Chief Executive Will Gardiner stated that the project would help secure the long-term future of the site and protect hundreds of jobs, supporting the 'north's reindustrialisation and strengthening sovereign AI capability.'

Despite the promising prospects of the project, there are ongoing environmental concerns. The Drax power station generates almost 5% of the UK's electricity by burning woody biomass pellets, and it is considered the country's single largest source of carbon dioxide emissions. However, these emissions are not included in the UK government's carbon accounts due to Drax's claims that they are offset by the growth of trees used to produce the biomass fuel. The government has committed to a "much more limited role" for the plant amid these sustainability concerns.