IN Brief:
- Pure DC confirms installation of the third and final 75 MVA Hitachi unit at the LON01 campus in North London.
- The company states that the completed three-transformer configuration has 150 MVA of installed capacity, with energisation still planned.
- The specialist gantry was rated for a 1,000-tonne lift; this is not a reported weight of the transformer.
Pure Data Centres Group has installed the third and final main power transformer at the LON01 data centre campus in Brent Cross, North London. The 75 MVA Hitachi unit completes a three-transformer configuration that Pure DC reports as providing 150 MVA of installed substation capacity. The final transformer is positioned but not yet reported as energised, with that step planned for later in October 2026.
The transformer is intended to supply the campus’s B1 and B2 buildings through a dedicated high-voltage system, with ductwork already installed towards B2. Pure DC describes LON01 as a 90 MW campus designed for high-density cloud and artificial intelligence computing, with closed-loop liquid cooling planned for its facilities. The campus power designation and the substation’s apparent-power rating are different design measures and should not be added together.
A transformer’s megavolt-ampere rating describes apparent power, whereas megawatts measure real electrical power. The two are related by power factor, and the power available to the computing load also depends on switchgear, distribution arrangements and operating limits. Pure DC’s declared 150 MVA total should not be relabelled as 150 MW of available data centre load or used to infer the operating characteristics of the other two transformers.
The company’s combined 150 MVA figure should be retained without deriving a different total from the number of installed units. Neither the release nor the 75 MVA rating of the final transformer establishes the individual ratings of the other two machines or the campus’s firm usable supply under all redundancy conditions. The actual operating envelope depends on upstream connections, the distribution arrangement, switching procedures and equipment loading limits.
Positioning the final transformer alongside existing live substation infrastructure required a lifting arrangement designed for the restricted work area. Pure DC says a conventional 500-tonne crane could not be accommodated, so the installation team deployed a specially engineered gantry with a stated lifting capacity of 1,000 tonnes. That system enabled controlled movement and placement of the transformer without a conventional crane boom operating within the same constrained footprint.
The 1,000-tonne figure refers exclusively to the gantry’s rated lifting capacity; Pure DC did not identify it as the mass of the Hitachi transformer. An engineered lift near energised equipment must control the load path, movement envelope and clearance from live assets. The completion of that mechanical operation is a distinct milestone from protection testing, connection acceptance and permission to energise the newly installed unit.
The final positioning operation lasted four hours and involved Pure DC personnel, MGE Group, logistics companies and specialist suppliers. That relatively short lift was the last step in an 18-month programme encompassing manufacture, testing, overseas transportation and delivery through London’s road network. Manufacture began in Colombia in March 2025, with factory testing completed in June 2026 before the transformer was shipped to Britain.
Moving a large transformer to an urban site requires more than arranging a vehicle of adequate payload. Route geometry, bridge and highway restrictions, unloading positions, temporary traffic management and permissions from local authorities must all be resolved. Final arrival at a data centre is followed by precision installation and the electrical work needed to integrate the unit with high-voltage connections and downstream distribution equipment.
Factory testing was completed before shipment to Britain, but those tests are separate from checks performed after an installed transformer is connected to the substation. The site commissioning process can include inspections of terminations, insulation and protective interfaces, control and communications checks and operational authorisation. Pure DC’s 15 October statement confirms the physical installation; it does not say that the final transformer has completed energisation or begun supplying additional building load.
The campus’s intended computing workloads place continuous demands on electricity infrastructure. High-density racks can concentrate substantial power consumption into relatively small spaces, while cooling and supporting electrical systems add further load. Transformer ratings, distribution capacity, reserve margins and operational switching arrangements must therefore be considered together when assessing the site’s usable power capability.
Pure DC has previously described the final build phase of LON01, but that wider construction programme and this transformer installation are distinct milestones. The new announcement confirms placement of the final major transformer and readiness to progress towards connection; it does not establish that the second data centre building is complete or that the campus has reached its planned full operating load.
Pure DC’s next stated milestone is energisation later in October. The declared 150 MVA configuration is consequently an installed substation-capacity statement, not a measurement of real power being delivered through the newly placed transformer. Confirmation of energisation and subsequent building commissioning will establish the operating status of the completed power installation, independently of the four-hour positioning operation.
