Colt Data Centre Services has secured approval to invest £2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) in three hyperscale data centers at its Hayes Digital Park campus in west London.
The expansion, approved by Hillingdon Council, will add 97 MW of IT capacity to the site near Heathrow Airport — more than doubling its total capacity to 160 MW. Construction is slated to begin mid-2026, with the first facility going live in early 2029.
The new facilities — designated London 6, 7, and 8 — will run entirely on renewable energy through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), Colt said. Under planning restrictions, backup generators can operate for a maximum of 15 hours annually. Grid connection via high-voltage supply is scheduled for October 2027.
Colt positions the project as support the UK government's industrial strategy, strengthening digital infrastructure for the AI economy - one of the obsessions of the current administration.
The company, which operates across Europe and Asia Pacific, plans to integrate a district heating network to channel waste heat from the datacenters to local businesses and residential buildings. However, some studies have cast doubt on the value of such schemes, as they often need complex infrastructure, and it can be difficult to make accurate projections on how much waste heat a datacenter will produce in future.
The campus will feature an Innovation Hub developed by Aecom, and Colt intends it to "act as a base for innovation and community engagement," with flexible space for future industrial use. Colt said it will provide value to the local community (if an industrial estate can be said to have one) by hosting events themed around culture, food, film, music, and literature.
Colt's chief real estate officer Xavier Matagne claimed the development is an important milestone for the UK's digital economy. "Data centers are a cornerstone of digital transformation. With this expansion, we can help power innovation, support the AI revolution, and contribute to the energy transition," he said. ®
Source: The register