Today, a company called DC01UK unveiled plans for a huge, billion-pound data centre in Hertfordshire, which promises to be one of the largest data centres in the UK.
But who is DC01UK, and what are their plans for the massive 83-acre site?
UKTN had not come across DC01UK before. But we did some preliminary research looking at the history of the company and its proposals.
DC01UK was founded in 2022 but so far has only published dormant company accounts. Two connected companies called DC01AB and DC01 Holdings were incorporated on 30 August 2024.
According to DC01UK, the site “could be operational in 2029 with economic benefits being felt nationally and locally from the construction phase onwards. The project has an estimated construction value of approximately £3.75bn, supporting at least 500 jobs during the construction phase. Once operational the site would support at least 200 new, permanent, local jobs. Additionally, DC01UK is likely to generate approximately £1.1 billion per annum indirectly per year, as well as create 13,700 new job opportunities throughout the UK across numerous sectors.”
DC01UK also said: “A brand-new, community-based technology and innovation hub is also key to the local offer.”
UKTN asked DC01UK who the company was, who its board and CEO were, who the investors were and what experience they had with building data centres.
We were not given answers to all of these questions but were told the company was a “joint venture between the Griggs Group and Chiltern Green Energy Ltd, both of whom are experienced in bringing together the key components for the development of sites such as this.”
It is not clear whether Griggs and Chiltern will be funding this project entirely themselves or will be looking for outside investment once planning permission is granted.
According to its website, Griggs engages with “bespoke new build homes and exclusive developments”. The company says it is “experienced in handling all forms of planning applications for new development, whether for single plots or larger scale multi-unit developments.”
According to the website of Chiltern Green Energy, the company specialises in an “ability to identify prime locations for solar and battery storage projects.”
UKTN did not find evidence that Griggs or Chiltern had prior experience with the construction or management of data centres.
Griggs acquired the land of a nearby disused pub, the White Hart, in 2021 for a fee of £650,000, Land Registry documents show. Three weeks ago, the company obtained planning permission from the local authority for conversion of the building into flats.
But architects’ impressions reported by the Welwyn Hatfield Times show the former pub is now set to be transformed into the “brand-new, community-based technology and innovation hub”.
Micro company accounts filed in June for Chiltern Green Energy Ltd showed the company had three employees and net liabilities of £79,271. The company is run by Andy Brewer, who has more than a decades’ experience in delivering green energy projects.
Exemption accounts for Griggs Holdings filed in November last year showed the company had net current liabilities of £938.
DC01UK has two owners: a company called DC01 holdings which is controlled by Mr Brewer, and a company called Americraft Holdings, which is owned by a Mr James Craig, a director of Griggs. Americraft’s most recent exemption accounts show it had two employees and net assets of £6.9m.
How much might the land have cost to acquire? Land Registry documents show a 40-year lease on a small nearby ‘communications site’ of approximately 1 acre was acquired by On Tower UK Limited from Wrotham Park Settled Estates for the sum of £132k excluding VAT in January 2023. That would suggest that a similar lease on an 83-acre site could be worth as much as £11m.
