Drax, the energy firm that runs a biomass plant in North Yorkshire, has announced a plan to repurpose part of the facility as a data centre aimed at supporting artificial-intelligence workloads. An analysis based on the company’s 2025 annual report estimates that the centre would require roughly 4.9 million tonnes of wood each year, generating about 8.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
The proposal arrives amid a surge in demand for AI-driven computing power, which is driving a wave of new data-centre projects across the United Kingdom. Currently, 315 facilities are waiting to connect to the national grid, together representing a projected 73 gigawatts of load, almost twice the country’s peak winter electricity requirement.
Drax’s public filings describe a 1.2-gigawatt data-centre design, with only 100 megawatts drawn from the public electricity network while the remaining power would be supplied by the existing biomass station. The plant presently burns imported timber to generate electricity, a practice promoted as a low-carbon solution that could eventually deliver negative emissions once new forests mature.
Environmental scientists dispute the claim that burning wood can quickly become carbon-negative, noting that the carbon uptake required to offset emissions may take up to a century and a half. Researchers therefore argue that the accounting methods used by Drax and similar operators underestimate the true climate impact. The Natural Resources Defense Council, citing the 2025 report, calculated the wood demand and associated emissions for the proposed centre.
The NRDC’s senior advocate, Matt Williams, warned that the projected 8.6 million tonnes of CO₂ would be almost twice the total emissions recorded for all flights departing Gatwick Airport in 2024, which amounted to 4.79 million tonnes. He described the facility as potentially “one of the dirtiest datacentres” and called for urgent government standards.
The project has not entered formal planning, but Drax indicates that, subject to the necessary approvals, the centre could become operational by 2031. The UK government has previously rejected calls for a moratorium on data-centre construction, arguing that restrictions would deter investment and jobs. In contrast, Scottish MPs voted to pause new applications for up to a year while a national strategy is drafted.
Drax’s spokesperson argued that the proposed facility would bolster economic growth in North Yorkshire, contribute to the country’s industrial renewal agenda, and support aspirations for AI sovereignty. The statement emphasizes the potential for the data centre to align with broader governmental objectives, despite the environmental concerns raised by NGOs and scientific experts.