April 20 (Reuters) - Australia's NEXTDC said on Monday it plans to raise A$1.5 billion ($1.07 billion) to accelerate the rollout ‌of its S4 Sydney data centre and align with ‌initial delivery timelines.

The entitlement offer gives existing shareholders the chance to acquire new shares ​at A$12.70 each, at a ratio of roughly one new share for every 5.4 shares they already own.

Canada's La Caisse has committed an additional A$700 million, following its initial A$1 billion pledge earlier this month.

"This ‌is a unique opportunity ⁠to materially expand NEXTDC's contracted capacity and de-risk the company's Western Sydney developments ahead of potential strategic ⁠partnership transactions with private capital partners from 2027," said CEO and Managing Director Craig Scroggie, referring to the capital raise.

The data center operator ​said ​pro forma contracted utilisation, the total ​power capacity formally signed ‌up by customers, jumped by roughly 60% to 667 megawatts (MW) as of March 31, compared with end-December 2025.

NEXTDC raised its fiscal 2026 capital expenditure by A$300 million to the range of A$2,700 million to A$3,000 million, reflecting investment in faster inventory build-out and equipment ‌procurement for its S4 facility.

The S4 ​facility, located in Horsley Park, will have ​a capacity of 350 ​megawatts, according to the company website.

NEXTDC said it continues ‌to evaluate capital partnership structures ​for its Western ​Sydney developments with third-party investors as projects progress.

Citi analysts said the equity raise and the upsized hybrid issuance were positive, ​signalling strong demand environment ‌and highlighting NEXTDC's ability to win large hyperscale contracts.

($1 = ​1.4021 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Sneha Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing ​by Lisa Shumaker and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

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