Downing Renewable Developments (DRD) will develop, construct, and operate a 40 MW solar farm to supply electricity to Kao Data’s Harlow data centre campus, the companies announced on Monday.
The Green Data Solar Farm will deliver up to 40 MW of solar-generated power directly to the site via a private wire connection, under a long-term power purchase agreement with Kao Data.
The project is intended to support Kao Data’s goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2030 while enhancing energy resilience. The companies said the initiative comes as UK energy prices remain high and grid connection delays of up to 15 years affect some regions.
Tony Gannon, head of Downing Renewable Developments, said: “The agreement with Kao Data reflects the growing importance of integrated clean energy solutions in digital infrastructure. With a strong track record in renewable energy deployment and a UK pipeline exceeding 6 GW, Downing is well positioned to support the evolving energy needs of mission critical assets such as data centres.”
He added: “This is a significant milestone for Downing as it’s our first project with a data centre operator in a sector which is growing rapidly and driving future energy demand.”
Mathew Harris, chief financial officer at Kao Data, said: “Energy availability, power pricing and grid delays continue to be three of the leading challenges for UK data centre operators, and without decisive action and innovation, our country could lose pace in the AI race. Our collaboration with DRD demonstrates how companies like Kao Data can take proactive action to solve some of the UK’s renewable energy challenges directly, and deliver green power at-pace and scale, to exactly where it’s needed.”
DRD said the company has around 90 professionals dedicated to renewable energy and infrastructure and has completed more than 200 core renewable investments since 2010. The project highlights how private wire schemes can reduce grid demand, provide long-term low-cost power, and support the UK government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan.
