Burnham grid shake-up offers data centres escape from power queue Tech Britain’s data centre developers could be handed a new route around years-long waits for electricity under Andy Burnham’s plan to open up the power grid to competition. The prime minister unveiled Great British Grid (GB Grid) on Tuesday, a publicly owned arm of Great British Energy that will aim to challenge existing network operators and [...]
Burnham to announce new publicly-owned grid operator Politics Andy Burnham is expected to announce a new publicly-owned body which will invest in the UK’s electricity grid in an attempt to bring down Britain’s sky-high energy costs. The Prime Minister is tipped to unveil Great British Grid, which will speed up connections to the grid by driving up competition for projects, during his Labour [...]
Natwest chair: Boost investment in UK or risk ‘inter-generational crisis’ Economics The chair of Natwest has warned the UK is in a “moment of national crisis” that can only be fixed by firing up investment in the country’s flagging economy. Rick Haythornthwaite, the City grandee who has also chaired the boards of Mastercard and Ocado, told City AM that years of political instability and poor decision-making [...]
Iranian hackers behind UK energy plant attack August 23, 2026 An attack on an energy facility which was shut down for four days last month was carried out by hackers linked to the Iranian regime. The cyberattack, which is believed to be the first time Iranian-affiliated hackers have successfully infiltrated a UK energy facility, shutting it down. A government spokesperson for the Department for Energy [...]
Ofgem warns on grid squeeze after Heathrow data centre approved August 14, 2026 The energy watchdog Ofgem has warned that speculative data centre projects risk holding up viable investments on Britain’s electricity grid, after councillors approved another power-hungry facility near Heathrow Airport. Hounslow Council has backed plans for a data centre on a 12.2-acre brownfield site at the Haslemere Heathrow Estate, which would require an 80MVA high-capacity electricity [...]
Ofgem data centre crackdown risks ‘driving AI investors away’ from UK July 29, 2026 Ofgem’s plans to crack down on speculative data centre projects have prompted warnings that new grid connection fees could make Britain a less attractive destination for AI investment, even as the industry backs efforts to clear stalled schemes from the queue. The regulator has launched a consultation on proposals to free up electricity grid capacity [...]
Ofgem targets speculative AI data centres to free up Britain’s energy grid July 29, 2026 Ofgem has announced plans to stop speculative AI data centre projects clogging up Britain’s electricity grid, after applications for new power connections more than tripled in less than a year. The energy regulator is consulting on a new upfront commitment fee for large data centre developers, alongside tougher rules requiring projects to prove they are [...]
Energy operator ‘flying blind’ as net zero push threatens hiked bills and blackouts July 25, 2026 The UK’s net zero push risks leaving the country with higher electricity bills and more susceptible to blackouts, according to a leaked report commissioned by the national grid system. The report, produced by energy consultancy firm Cornwall Insight for the National Energy System Operator (Neso) and shared with The Times by a whistleblower, revealed that [...]
Energy minister says AI must ‘bring down bills’ as data centres squeeze the grid July 15, 2026 Power-hungry data centres must help bring down bills rather than place further strain on Britain’s squeezed electricity network, the energy minister has said. Michael Shanks warned public support could drop for the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure unless households saw a clear economic benefit. “We need to deliver energy security here at home, but we [...]
Grid delays force Starmer-backed AI data centre to seek alternative power July 13, 2026 One of the UK’s flagship AI infrastructure projects is being forced to source its own energy supplies after discovering it would not be granted grid connection in time for its eagerly anticipated opening. Nscale, the British AI unicorn backed by Nvidia, is now looking beyond conventional electricity connections for its flagship £2bn data centre in [...]