IN Brief:
- SEGRO and Pure Data Centres Group have formed a second 50:50 joint venture.
- The partners plan to develop a fully fitted 48MW data centre in a key Paris Availability Zone.
- The project will use SEGRO land and 75MVA of pre-secured power capacity, underlining the role of grid access in data centre construction.
SEGRO and Pure Data Centres Group have formed a second 50:50 joint venture to develop a fully fitted data centre in Paris.
The planned facility will provide a 48MW IT load and will be located in a key Paris Availability Zone. SEGRO will contribute land and 75MVA of pre-secured power capacity from its 3.0GVA European power bank.
The joint venture is targeting a pre-let with a global hyperscaler. Construction is expected to start once planning permission and lease commitments have been secured. Delivery is planned in phases, with the first phase expected after around three years and final completion approximately one year later.
The gross capital requirement is expected to be around £0.8bn, including the value of SEGRO’s powered land. SEGRO’s cash equity contribution is expected to be approximately £60m across the construction period, with Pure DC contributing the remaining equity.
The Paris project follows the partners’ first joint venture at Premier Park in Park Royal, west London. That scheme has secured planning approval ahead of schedule and is in discussions with potential hyperscale customers.
Data centre construction is increasingly being driven by power-secured land rather than building design alone. Hyperscale occupiers need large, resilient, and rapidly deliverable capacity in locations with network access, planning prospects, cooling strategies, and fibre connectivity. The limiting factor is often whether land, power, permitting, and delivery capability can be aligned.
The same pattern is visible in the UK market, where data centre schemes at Redhill and Larbert show how grid capacity, heat reuse, M&E resilience, and specialist commissioning are shaping project viability before the main build begins.
Fully fitted data centres carry a different delivery profile from powered shell development. The fit-out includes mechanical and electrical systems, power distribution, cabling, cooling, controls, backup power architecture, fire protection, security, and long-lead equipment. The occupier typically provides racks and servers, but the developer and delivery team must still create the critical environment those systems require.
That increases construction complexity and capital intensity. It also increases the opportunity for developers able to manage planning, power, design, procurement, and operational readiness. Fully fitted facilities can generate higher returns than shell-only development, although they require deeper technical coordination and stronger confidence in occupier demand.
The Paris location is important within the wider European data centre market. Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin remain core locations for hyperscale and cloud infrastructure, but all face tighter constraints around grid availability, permitting, environmental performance, and community impact.
Developers are therefore competing on power access and delivery credibility as much as landbank. SEGRO’s industrial property platform gives it land and planning experience, while Pure DC brings data centre design, delivery, and operational expertise. The joint venture structure allows each party to bring a distinct capability while sharing the capital requirement.
The next phase depends on planning and lease commitments. If secured, the project will add another major construction programme to Europe’s digital infrastructure pipeline and reinforce data centres as a mainstream construction asset class, where building delivery, grid strategy, and long-term energy performance are now tightly connected.
