- Some projects are facing 15-year waiting lists for grid connections
- UK government is revising waiting list requirements to remove non-viable applications
- Permission granted to some developers to build high-voltage lines and substations
The UK Government has set out plans to prioritize grid connections for strategically important projects, recognizing the barriers some AI data centers are currently facing.
Demand to connect to the transmission network has grown 460% in the past six months, and some projects are facing wait times of up to 15 years to get grid connections, the Government wrote, criticizing severe backlogs and oversubscribed queues.
As part of the change, key priority sectors like AI data centers, AI Growth Zones, electric vehicle charging hubs and electrified industrial sites will all benefit.
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UK Government to tackle grid connection delays for key infrastructure
The Government says it will also remove speculative or non-viable applications from the grid connection pipeline to clear the way, introducing stricter requirements to join or remain in the queue.
A new Connections Accelerator Service is also launching with further details due later this year, which would help certain projects get faster access, with data centers potentially even eligible for discounted electricity costs.
In order to remove some of the pressure off the National Grid, the Government is also looking into permitting some developers to build their own high-voltage lines and substations to further speed up connections.
So far, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) has cut the grid connections queue by more than half by prioritizing viable clean energy projects, but the changes could have far greater implications on the economy, unlocking up to £40 billion per year of private investments and saving £5 billion in unnecessary grid upgrades.
NESO Chief Operating Officer Kayte O’Neill wrote: “We are committed to working with government, industry and Ofgem to prioritise strategically important projects, while removing speculative applications.”
Eleanor Warburton, Ofgem Director for Energy System Design and Development, agreed that there’s a need for “bold action to deal with the growing bottleneck in demand projects connecting to the grid.”
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