UK data-center developers pursue gas power amid grid delays

British data-center developers are pursuing on-site gas generation as electricity-grid connection delays constrain near-term projects, according to evidence submitted to Parliament by gas-network operator SGN.

SGN said those barriers were creating demand for gas connections that could provide primary or backup power. The company said it received 38 large-gas-demand connection inquiries in the preceding 24 months, with data-center applications accounting for more than 6 GWh of potential demand. According to SGN, commercial and practical barriers to electricity connections were leading developers to include on-site gas generation in near-term energy plans.

Britain’s electricity regulator has separately documented the scale of the connection backlog. Ofgem said contracted demand offers rose from 41 GW in November 2024 to 125 GW in June 2025. Data-center projects accounted for at least 80 GW. The regulator said projects that were not viable could block capacity needed by developments ready to proceed.

Even well-progressed projects cannot always connect quickly because building network infrastructure or new generation takes time, Ofgem said in a demand-connections reform update. The regulator described the demand queue as large and growing. DataPhoenix has separately covered UK policy support for strategic data-center projects.

A National Energy System Operator summary provides another measure of demand. Its March 2026 summary of a call for input covered 243 responses representing more than 90 GW. Data centers were the largest category, accounting for 50,802 MW across 152 project phases. Requested connection dates generally ranged from 2027 to 2035, and about 40% of projects sought energization before 2030.

SGN said some prospective developers had been quoted electricity-connection waits of at least a decade, while gas connections could in some cases operate within two years. Those project-level timings have not been independently verified. The available evidence does not establish how many inquiries will become operating projects, how much gas they would consume or the resulting emissions.