UK microgrid developer Eclipse Power has partnered with UK energy infrastructure developer Carlton Power to develop an energy park in Manchester, conceived to host a large-scale data center development.

The two companies signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to develop the Future Point Manchester project in Carrington, Greater Manchester.

The project has already secured a 1.4GW bilateral private grid connection with a connection date in 2028. In addition, the partners claim that the project will also have on-site low-carbon generation with a capacity of more than 500MW. The project will be located next to the 884MW Carrington Combined Cycle Gas Turbine, a 680MW Battery Energy Storage System, and a Long Duration Battery Storage project.

According to the companies, this will enable the park to host Europe’s largest data center project.

“Hyperscale developments are essential if the UK is to deliver on the government’s AI Growth Zone strategy,” said the director of development at Eclipse Power Optimise, Alex Howison. “Working together, Carlton and Eclipse are creating an energy park fit for the UK’s ambitions, with the resources and facilities to attract leading hyperscale clients.”

The JDA formalizes the partnership between the two companies and marks a commitment to deliver the energy park, including its design, construction, ownership, and operation of local power infrastructure.

“The availability of reliable, significant power supply is the defining requirement for hyperscale data infrastructure. The partnership between Carlton and Eclipse ensures that Future Point Manchester will be designed, built, and managed by sector leaders, who together bring vast experience and expertise in power generation and power networks,” said Keith Clarke, founder and CEO of Carlton Power.

The companies claim that the project aligns with the UK government’s AI Growth Zone agenda. Regions across the UK were invited to bid to host the growth zones earlier this year as part of the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan. Around 200 expressions of interest were submitted to host the zones, with bids coming from all corners of the UK.

Each of the five planned AI Growth Zones is set to be capable of serving at least 500MW of demand by 2030, with at least one growth zone reportedly scaling to more than 1GW by 2030.

The first AI Growth Zone will be built in Culham, Oxfordshire, with Scotland and Wales also confirmed as locations. Earlier this month, the UK government confirmed that a former steel site in Teeside outside Middlesbrough would be home to the second AI Growth Zone, and house the “largest data center in Europe.”

UK data center Kao has pitched the northwest of England, around Manchester, where the company is developing a facility, as a potential option. However, there has yet to be confirmation over whether the Manchester area will be home to an AI Growth Zone.