Ofgem warns of grid pressure following Heathrow data centre approval

Hounslow Council has approved plans for a new data centre on a 12.2-acre brownfield site at the Haslemere Heathrow Estate. The facility is expected to require an 80MVA high-capacity electricity connection, equivalent to the power needs of tens of thousands of homes.

The energy regulator Ofgem has warned that such speculative data centre projects risk delaying viable investments in Britain’s electricity grid. To address the growing backlog of connection requests, Ofgem is consulting on new requirements, including potential upfront commitment fees and stricter milestones for developers to ensure capacity is used by projects ready to build and connect.

This development occurs amid a surge in demand for data centres driven by artificial intelligence. The Greater London Authority reports that electricity capacity requests for data centres in London are approximately ten times the amount currently used by existing sites. Additionally, concerns have been raised regarding the impact of these facilities on local water supplies, with some data centres reportedly seeking up to 3 million litres of water per day.