UK rejects Drax-backed bid to power 1.2GW data center with biomass

The UK government has rejected a North Yorkshire bid to power an AI data center from Drax’s biomass plant near Selby, Data Center Dynamics reported on Oct. 16.

The application was filed by North Yorkshire Council, the University of York and Drax, and proposed a 1.2GW data center running off the site’s 2.58GW bioenergy plant, which the report describes as the UK’s single largest energy generator.

According to the York Press, the bid failed selection criteria including “credible plans for energy delivery, environmental considerations, and local economic benefit.” The scheme lets local authorities apply for state funding and other benefits for large-scale AI data centers, and the rejection was a selection decision under it rather than a planning refusal.

The applicants described the facility as the world’s largest “carbon negative data center.” That claim rested on installing chemical scrubbers in partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and capturing at least eight million tonnes of CO2 from the chimneys each year.

The plant itself is one of the UK’s largest emitters: Ember put Drax’s 2025 emissions at 14.1 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, meaning the capture the applicants claimed would cover a bit more than half of that.

Drax has pivoted to a 100MW front-of-meter data center that would draw power from the national grid rather than from the plant.

A Drax spokesperson told the York Press the company was pleased to support York and North Yorkshire’s AI Growth Zone bid and had “never relied” on its success.

The company said the first phase would be submitted to planning authorities “in the coming months,” and that successful progress could enable a data center to come online before the end of this decade.

Drax’s interest in the site dates back to November 2024, when it was reported to be in discussions with operators about co-locating a data center with biomass generation. The report also notes Drax has since signed a ten-year corporate power purchase agreement with Global Switch to support the firm’s UK operations.

The rejected scheme would have put 1.2GW of load behind the meter at Drax’s plant; the replacement takes 100MW from the grid and has not yet secured planning approval.