Energy: Data Centres
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to Answer of 19 June 2026 to Question 8970, how projected demand from AI-capable data centres has been incorporated into national electricity system planning.
Answered by Michael Shanks
The Department’s published energy demand forecasts do not separately identify or report electricity demand from data centres. Instead, data centres are included within broader economic and sectoral electricity demand projections, including the wider computer services and information technology sectors. As a result, the Department does not hold a standalone forecast for data centre electricity demand within its principal demand forecasting models.
NESO is currently working towards releasing its latest 10 Year Forecast on 30th July, which will include their estimates of the annual electricity demand associated with data centres.
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