Written questions

Energy: Data Centres

2026-06-29 · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero · 14720 · Official question

James McMurdock

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to Answer of 19 June 2026 to Question 8970, what discussions he has had with the National Energy System Operator on the impact of AI-capable data centres on future electricity demand

Answer

The Department is engaging with the National Energy System Operator (NESO) on methodologies for understanding demand, and how different scenarios for data centre capacity, efficiency, utilisation and ramp-up rate translate into varying annual electricity ...