LONDON — The U.K.’s energy regulator has proposed a raft of new requirements for projects connecting to the grid in order to tackle a surge in “speculative” requests from data centers.
In a statement Wednesday, Ofgem said the proposals are “aimed at tackling speculative projects from securing scarce network capacity without any firm intention to connect, ensuring the queue enables investment ready, viable projects.”
Ofgem’s director for energy system design and development, Eleanor Warburton, said “consumers should not bear the risks created by speculative projects taking up space in the system,” which can “delay other schemes and create uncertainty about future network needs.”
It comes after the queue for energy demand projects has risen from 41 gigawatts to 125 GW, of which at least 80 GW are data centers. Many of these projects are unlikely to proceed, according to Ofgem.
