Plans for a £2bn data centre in Loughton, Essex, have been hit by grid delays and developer Nscale is now seeking alternative ways to power the site.
Nscale had hoped to open its 50-megawatt (MW) site – scaling up to 90MW – next year. However, the company has now been told that an electricity supply will not be available in time.
The company is said to be negotiating with US firm Bloom Energy to secure high-powered gas fuel cells to generate electricity, The Telegraph reported.
Nscale insisted it remains fully committed to the project.
Power and grid connection delays have plagued UK data centre development. A report by independent grid specialist consultancy Roadnight Taylor found that half of UK data centre developers expect a grid connection in just one to two years, but often have to wait three to eight. Over half of respondents identified securing grid connections as the primary barrier to data centre project success.
In a bid to speed up the process, UK infrastructure firm United Infrastructure has been tasked by energy regulator Ofgem with leading an industry initiative to develop standardised electricity connection archetypes for UK data centres.
The programme will create common designs for data centres, substations, high-voltage compounds and other connection arrangements used to link projects to the electricity grid.
“The rapid growth in data centres presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the energy system,” said Akshay Kaul, director general of infrastructure at Ofgem.
He added that technologies such as fuel cells could complement the grid and be instrumental in shaping a resilient energy system.
Neil Armstrong, chief executive of United Infrastructure, said: “As demand for data centres grows, we are seeing unprecedented interest in our gas-to-power solutions. Being recognised in this way is testament to the work we are doing to accelerate ‘time to power’ for data centres across the UK, many of which are now frequently classed as nationally significant infrastructure.”
As demand for electricity continues to increase through AI, data centres and wider electrification, the initiative represents an important step towards creating a more co-ordinated approach to infrastructure delivery.
Please visit:
Our Sponsor