Volta buys 1.45MW Manchester data center from Lunar Digital

Volta Data Centres bought Reynolds House, a data center in Manchester with 1.45MW of installed IT capacity, from Lunar Digital, adding its first site outside London.

The campus hosts about 25 carriers and has plans to expand its installed IT capacity to 2.5MW. Data Center Dynamics reported the transaction as a carve-out that excludes the Lunar Digital brand. The two facilities are to be renamed Volta-Man1 and Volta-Man2, with a third, Volta-Man3, a short distance away. Terms were not disclosed.

For allocators underwriting Arcus European Infrastructure Fund 4, the 2023 lease with landlord CapitaLand is the term to diligence. Lunar Digital signed the lease on Reynolds House with CapitaLand in 2023, when it took over operations after Equinix exited. The lease suggests Volta is buying an operating colocation business rather than the building. A build-out to 2.5MW would take Manchester to roughly 40% of the 6MW Volta runs in central London.

The acquisition is Volta's first bolt-on under Arcus European Infrastructure Fund 4, which bought the company earlier this year. "The Reynolds House campus stood out as an ideal first bolt-on acquisition for Volta under Arcus' ownership and is a key step in building a leading UK connectivity-driven colocation platform," said Charlie Scott, senior investment director at Arcus and asset manager of Volta Data Centres.

Volta chief executive Jason Liggins said: "Until now, Volta has been a London business. Having a second home in Manchester gives our customers more choice, as well as more places to connect."

Volta has operated a 6MW, 91,000 sq ft colocation and interconnection facility in central London since 2013. D9 acquired Volta in 2022 and merged it with Verne. The combined company was sold to Ardian in 2024 as D9 was wound down.