- Some projects face 15-year waiting lists for grid connection
- The UK government is revising waiting list requirements to remove non-viable applications
- Permission granted to some developers to build high voltage power lines and substations
The UK government has set out plans to prioritize network connectivity for strategically important projects, recognizing the barriers some AI data centers currently face.
Demand to connect to the transmission grid has grown by 460% in the past six months, with some projects facing waiting 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 such as AI data centers, AI growth zones, electric vehicle charging hubs and electrified industrial facilities will all benefit.
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The UK government will 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, and introduce stricter requirements to join or remain in the queue.
A new Connections Accelerator Service will also be launched with further details later this year, which will help certain projects gain faster access, with data centers potentially even eligible for reduced electricity costs.
To take some of the pressure off the national grid, the government is also looking into allowing 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 more than halved the grid connection queue by prioritizing viable clean energy projects, but the changes could have a much bigger impact on the economy, unlocking up to £40 billion a year of private investment 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 prioritize strategically important projects while weeding out speculative applications.”
Eleanor Warburton, Ofgem director of energy system design and development, agreed that “bold action is needed to address the growing bottleneck in demand-side projects connecting to the grid.”
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