Summary
Growth in data centres, which are facilities that house computers for digital services, is slowing down the building of new homes in London because they use a lot of electricity. Some new housing projects in west London experienced delays due to the electricity grid reaching full capacity. Efforts are underway to address this by planning to increase power supply and improve coordination for energy use.
Key Facts
- Data centres are large facilities with computers for running digital services such as streaming and AI.
- These centres require significant electricity from the National Grid.
- Some housing projects in west London were delayed as the electricity grid hit capacity limits.
- The London Assembly's report suggested the need for long-term planning to expand grid capacity.
- Data centres currently use less than 10% of the UK's electricity, but this could increase by up to 600% by 2050.
- There are 447 data centres in the UK, with over half of the new ones planned for London.
- The National Grid plans to add 7 gigawatts of additional power to west London by 2037.
- Recommendations include creating a separate planning category for data centres to better coordinate energy use.
