The growing demand for artificial intelligence is prompting major technology companies to explore alternative solutions to power their data centers. Microsoft, in particular, is considering the possible use of nuclear energy to meet these needs.
However, the challenges facing companies like Microsoft, Google and Amazon go beyond securing green and affordable energy sources. They also have to deal with the problem of identifying suitable locations for new data centres that provide the necessary infrastructure, including sufficient power and connectivity.
As traditional locations become saturated, tech giants are increasingly looking at less conventional sites, including repurposing old industrial facilities and decommissioned power plants.
Not without problems
He Financial timeQuoting Adam Cookson, head of land transactions for the Emea data centre advisory group at real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, he says that “many data centre markets are 'very constrained when it comes to land and power availability', which in turn [has] “fueled interest in smaller markets and ‘tougher sites’ like old power plants.”
Camilla Hodgson, author FOOT The article notes that “coal-fired power plants are being decommissioned in parts of the United States and Europe, but they may have attributes that a data center campus would require. For example, industrial sites are often designed for high energy consumption and may have electrical transmission infrastructure and be located near a water source.”
Of course, the conversion of these sites is not without its difficulties, especially when it comes to reconnecting them to the electricity grid. However, the repurposing of old industrial facilities is increasingly seen as a more viable option than building new facilities from scratch.
According to the article, Microsoft plans to develop data centers on the sites of the decommissioned Eggborough and Skelton Grange power stations near Leeds, England, with construction at Eggborough expected to begin in 2027. Amazon is reportedly planning a project on the site of the former Birchwood power station in Virginia, US.
