UK datacenter developers are increasingly seeking on-site gas-fired electricity because new grid connections often take years. Government plans to expand AI capabilities include construction of many new datacenters and designated AI Growth Zones. Local grid upgrades can require substantial delays for substation capacity increases, prompting developers to inquire about gas pipeline connections. National Gas confirmed five large projects in southern England requested links totaling roughly 2.5 gigawatts. Operators often install on-site power plants using gas turbines or solid-oxide fuel cells to serve individual data halls. Similar demand previously emerged in the United States.
Datacenter developers in the UK are turning to gas for power generation amid lengthy wait times for a connection to the electricity grid. The British government unveiled plans at the start of the year to ramp up the country's AI development, allowing for the building of lots of additional infrastructure - datacenters in particular - including the setting up of so-called "AI Growth Zones".
However, the UK's moribund planning process sometimes leads to waiting years for new projects to get connected up to the electricity grid. The chief executive of Segro, a major commercial property developer, said last year that it sometimes takes "a number of years" for local substations to be upgraded in order to increase grid capacity. Now it appears that some developers are tired of the wait and are looking to generate their own electrical power on-site instead.
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