Developers have filed for planning permission for a new data center in Bidder Street in east London's Canning Town that would be the first hyper-scale data center in the area.
The near two-hectare site, formerly a metal recycling facility, has been allocated for industrial use, and is bordered by a planned housing estate of around 900 homes. SineQN, the developers behind the proposals, said waste heat from the data center could heat around 13,000 local homes in total.
"The Bidder Street proposals are for a hyper-scale data center capable of meeting the needs of a major global technology company," the firm said.
The proposals cover a 77MW data center consisting of two blocks, with one housing at least half a dozen data halls in a 12-storey, 72-meter-high building. A third building will be the energy center, housing heat recovery and water processing facilities.
The energy used, the firm said, will be sourced wholly from green renewable supply.
A decision on the planning application is expected later this year. If successful, construction work is expected to start this year, followed by the tenant fit-out process and with the building becoming operational in 2026 and hitting full capacity in 2029.
SineQN said the development could act as the foundation for a new 'digital quarter', and could benefit local residents, generating £198 million for Newham’s economy and hundreds of jobs a year during the six-year construction phase.
Once operational, it will provide hundreds more jobs across the local workforce and generate further investment of as much as £750 million.
SineQN provides powered shell and core developments for occupiers, fully enabled and ready for fit-out. The company has worked on more than 40 major projects around the world, including sites in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
"We provide an oven ready development solution at the stage an occupier needs it," the firm said.
"Floor plates are completely open, ready for occupier fit-out, with generous clear heights, column free halls, and a high structural loading capacity. Power and utility configurations are highly resilient, and sustainability is second to none."
What is a green data center and why are they attracting big investment?
Data centers are proliferating in and around London, with recent announcements from developers including Green Mountain, Vantage Data Centers, and Kao Data.
Just last week, Global Switch announced plans for a new facility in London's Docklands district.
However, there have been issues over delays to power provisioning for new data center projects in the city, particularly in West London, along with planning challenges from the Greater London Authority (GLA).
