SearchBriefing

Policy record, national

Great Britain: Ofgem data centre connection reforms (Demand Connections Reform, Curate consultation)

Consultation closedGreat Britain (England, Scotland, Wales). Not Northern Ireland.Proposal, not binding

On 29 July 2026 Ofgem consulted on measures to remove speculative data centre projects from the GB electricity demand connections queue. Proposals include a Data Centre Commitment Fee paid on accepting a connection offer, refunded at energisation and forfeited on early exit, in a proposed range of 237,500 to 712,500 GBP per MW, and data centre specific queue milestones evidencing finance, commercial maturity and procurement. Ofgem says contracted demand offers rose from 41 GW to 125 GW between November 2024 and June 2025, driven largely by data centres. The consultation closed on 16 September 2026. It follows a March 2026 government announcement on prioritising strategic demand projects including AI Growth Zones.

Current status

Consultation closed 16 September 2026. Final decision pending. Further consultation on self-build, transfer and flexible connections indicated for autumn 2026 by Ofgem update material (not verified in detail).

Who it applies to

Large data centre demand connection applications and offers in Great Britain.

Exceptions: Details to be set in final decision.

What it means for cooling and power

A per-MW fee and milestones would push developers to show procurement activity early, which could bring long-lead electrical and cooling orders forward for viable projects and thin out speculative ones. Queue GW figures are applications and offers, not buildable capacity.

Editorial: business implications, not legal advice.

History

  1. 16 Sept 2026: Consultation closed (expired, history only) ofgem.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
  2. 29 Jul 2026: Ofgem Curate consultation opens
  3. 11 Mar 2026: Government announces demand connections reform

Related policy

Markets

Lifecycle

  1. Proposed or announced11 Mar 2026
  2. Consultation16 Sept 2026
  3. Adoptednot reached
  4. In effectnot reached

Consultation closed 16 September 2026. Final decision pending. Further consultation on self-build, transfer and flexible connections indicated for autumn 2026 by Ofgem update material (not verified in detail).

Sources (3), last checked 18 Oct 2026
  1. Ofgem acts to free up grid capacity by tackling speculative data centre projects (opens in a new tab), Ofgem, published 29 Jul 2026, accessed 18 Oct 2026
  2. Curate: Demand Connections Reform. Proposed data centre connection reforms (consultation) (opens in a new tab), Ofgem, published 29 Jul 2026, accessed 18 Oct 2026
  3. Government to tackle speculative demand grid connection requests (opens in a new tab), DESNZ, DSIT, NESO and Ofgem (GOV.UK), published 11 Mar 2026, accessed 18 Oct 2026

Last checked 18 Oct 2026 by CoolPower Index research (automated, sourced). Report a correction.

Policy records are editorial summaries. No sponsor can buy influence over them.