UK energy regulator Ofgem has warned that approximately 140 proposed datacentre projects could require up to 50 gigawatts of electricity — 5GW more than Great Britain's current peak demand — driven largely by AI infrastructure growth. Ofgem said the surge in grid connection applications, which between November 2024 and June last year exceeded even the most ambitious forecasts, risks delaying renewable energy connections critical for the government's 2030 clean power targets. The regulator has proposed tougher financial entry tests for datacentre developers and is exploring whether they should fund and build their own grid connections to unblock the application queue.

New datacentres risk doubling Great Britain's electricity use, regulator says - The Guardian