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Energy: Artificial Intelligence

Asked by Mr Angus MacDonaldLiberal DemocratDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled Answered 3 February 2026UIN 108573

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure transparency from AI companies on the level of their energy usage.

Answered by Michael Shanks

Large AI companies in the UK must report energy and carbon use under The Streamlined Energy & Carbon Reporting (SECR) framework. Many companies also voluntarily report their Power Utilisation Effectiveness, which is the industry standard measure of efficiency of a data centre. Government is assessing the relevant technologies and metrics involved in its drive towards building a sustainable energy system as part of the AI Energy Council.

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