Drax Shares Surge on Data Center Hopes

Core Viewpoint - Drax Group Plc shares have surged due to investor optimism that UK utilities could benefit from the expanding data center industry in the UK [1][2]. Company Summary - Drax's stock increased by as much as 8.5% following RWE AG's announcement of a €225 million ($261 million) gain from a UK data center project, highlighting the potential value of converting former power sites into data hubs [2]. - Barclays analysts estimate that Drax's 250-acre site, which has existing grid connections, could be valued at up to £500 million if developed for data hosting [3]. - Drax plans to build a 100-megawatt data center at its biomass power station by 2030, which could diversify its revenue streams as demand for digital power rises [6]. Industry Summary - Data centers are rapidly increasing global power demand, with the UK grid struggling to keep up; they now account for over half of new grid connection requests and could consume electricity equivalent to one-third of Britain's peak demand [4]. - Redeveloping existing industrial or power generation sites into data centers is a practical solution to grid congestion, making such properties increasingly valuable and scarce [4]. - RWE's project was valued at approximately €1 million per megawatt of grid capacity, with similar valuations expected across Europe [5].