Viridor Energy and Rivington Energy today announced a new co-operation agreement to develop a portfolio of AI-ready data centres powered by energy from several of Viridor’s UK Energy from Waste (EfW) sites.

The partnership is intended to support the growing demand for digital and AI infrastructure in the UK while making productive use of the reliable energy generated by Viridor’s EfW facilities.

Under the agreement, Rivington Energy will develop up to 200MW of AI-ready data centre capacity at sites in Bristol, Greater London, Oxfordshire and Fife.  The first proposed project, located at Avonmouth in Bristol, has recently been submitted for planning consideration by Bristol City Council.

Andrew Newman, Director at Rivington Energy, said: “We strongly support the UK’s ambition to become Europe’s leading hub for AI infrastructure. However, there remain barriers to address, including the availability of large-scale, dedicated AI data centres and access to competitively priced power, where other European markets currently have an advantage.

“Our partnership with Viridor represents an important step towards closing this gap. By sourcing power directly from Viridor’s Energy from Waste facilities rather than the grid, we can access a reliable long-term power supply while making productive use of energy generated from residual waste that would otherwise not be recycled. This helps improve cost competitiveness while maintaining operational flexibility.

“We also anticipate strong demand from customers for sustainably powered infrastructure. The use of renewable energy certificates (REGOs) will support the development of lower-carbon data centre infrastructure. Viridor is a highly aligned partner, and together we are focused on delivering projects at pace and at scale.”

Pierre Dorel, Managing Director at Viridor Energy, said: “Our partnership with Rivington Energy reflects Viridor’s strategy to maximise the long-term value of our Energy from Waste assets. Co-locating data centres at our sites creates an opportunity to provide reliable, long-term power directly to critical digital infrastructure, while making effective use of the energy generated through our operations.

“We have developed a strong working relationship with the Rivington team and look forward to progressing the Avonmouth project, as well as expanding our collaboration in the future.”

The proposed Avonmouth data centre is designed to deliver 40MW of compute capacity, with high-density racks of up to 144kW. Subject to planning approval, the facility could become operational as early as 2027.

Header image: CGI of proposed Avonmouth project.