Frontier & Ethos: Renewable Energy Solution for Data Centres
Frontier Power Limited and Ethos Green Energy Limited have entered into a Joint Development Agreement to construct data centre facilities with approximately 5GW of capacity across the UK, focusing significantly on integrated renewable solutions.
The agreement announced embraces an energy infrastructure strategy blending long-duration energy storage and solar projects, all designed to boost data centre capabilities.
This integrated plan is crucial for addressing the increasing demand for sustainable energy in data centres.
Ethos will utilise its connection points and land options to enable Frontier’s development of integrated energy projects.
With access to grid connection offers exceeding 10GW, the partnership plans to develop up to 20GWh of battery storage capacity alongside 5GW of solar energy generation.
Prioritising long-duration storage for data centres
The collaboration aims to leverage Frontier's substantial investment experience in electricity interconnectors and offshore wind transmission, alongside Ethos's focus on battery storage and renewable energy initiatives.
This will support their mutual goal of developing projects under Ofgem's Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) cap-and-floor scheme.
- Ethos will provide access to multiple connection points and land options to support Frontier’s development of energy projects
- Expected to enable a pipeline of up to 20 GWh of LDES battery storage projects
- The development of approx. 5GW of solar energy projects
- Enabling approx. 5GW of data centre facilities at selected sites
This regulatory framework ensures financial stability for storage technologies that provide balance to renewable energy input and grid reliability.
Through deploying diverse technologies like flow and zinc-based batteries, the partnership aims to provide extended energy storage beyond typical lithium-ion solutions.
The strategy focuses on aligning Ethos's planned connection points and Frontier's projects with the UK LDES market.
“This collaboration with Ethos represents a significant step forward in addressing the UK's energy transition challenges,” says Humza Malik, CEO of Frontier Power.
“By combining our expertise with Ethos' we have an unparalleled portfolio of connection points and land options.
“Together with our supply chain partners, Invinity and Eos, we are poised to deliver utility scale transformative projects that will enhance energy security, reduce costs for consumers and support the UK's net-zero ambitions.”
Focusing on renewable strategy
The UK data centre market struggles with grid capacity and power constraints, issues that this partnership hopes to mitigate through an integrated energy infrastructure approach.
Current governmental plans to elevate the UK to an AI leadership position require robust energy solutions like those being devised by Frontier and Ethos.
Securing essential land and grid access positions the UK strategically in the global data centre market and provides a competitive edge.
Humza adds: “By leveraging Ethos’ extensive pipeline of connection points and Frontier’s expertise in project development and financing of major Cap & Floor projects, the collaboration aims to position itself as the UK's leading developer of LDES projects.”
Simon Wragg, CEO of Ethos Green Energy, says: “We saw a unique opportunity to drive transformational change in the energy sector, using our vision of Renewable Energy Hubs established by our sister company Pando Renewables.
“Partnering with Frontier allows us to turn the vision into reality. Together, we are committed to creating sustainable energy hubs that integrate generation, storage and demand centres.”
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