Data Centre Watch Updated 24 October 2026, 13:03 UTC
Data Centre Watch
The local fight over one field is one row in a national rush. This is a rolling, fully sourced record of what changed — the schemes, the planning decisions, the power and water, and the wider world picture.
days under a hosepipe ban
Under a hosepipe ban for 107 days — since 10 July 2026 (as of 24 October 2026).
Affinity Water — Central region (incl. WD5), extended to the East region
11 areas in drought, parts of 4 in severe · reservoirs 54% · the water picture →
Latest
38 entries matching · showing 31–38
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US bill would make data centres pay the full grid bill
A bipartisan Senate permitting package would require data centres of 20MW+ to pay both existing and incremental grid costs, let regulators charge more (and cut other bills with the excess), and require financial guarantees before utilities build to serve them.
Why it matters: The most aggressive US move yet to stop other customers footing the bill for AI's power.
Source: Axios [V]
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US Senate investigation challenges Big Tech's data-centre case
A year-long Senate probe (Warren, Van Hollen, Blumenthal) of seven major developers found routine NDAs restricting scrutiny of public deals, sales-tax exemptions as the real subsidy, and permanent staffing of roughly one worker per megawatt — while none would commit to paying for the grid upgrades they drive.
Why it matters: The 'jobs and growth' case for data centres, tested by subpoena — and the ratepayer question at its centre.
Source: TIME [V]
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Singapore licenses data centres for resilience and efficiency
Singapore's parliament passed the Digital Infrastructure Bill (first read 8 September, passed 7 October), creating two licensing regimes: a foundational digital infrastructure licence for data centres and cloud providers with at least 10MW of critical IT load or S$100m of Singapore revenue, and a data-centre licence for sites of at least 3MW that must meet energy-efficiency standards (with possible water-efficiency rules). About two-thirds of Singapore's ~70 data centres are caught, penalties run to S$1m or 10% of turnover, and the Act comes into force in stages from 2027.
Why it matters: A regulator licensing data centres for resilience and efficiency at once — closer to what the UK debate keeps circling.
Source: MDDI / Business Times [C]
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National petition to 'ban harmful data centres' tops 24,000 in 48 hours
Foxglove and 38 Degrees launched a petition asking the PM to ban harmful data centres and set basic rules — no fossil-gas power, developers paying full grid costs, and no draining local water. It passed 24,000 signatures in 48 hours (alongside a separate 9,000-signature gas-power petition), citing ~315 projects and ~73GW in the UK connection queue.
Why it matters: The campaign case is going national — and it is written as rules, not just 'no'.
Source: Foxglove [C]
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Only 32% of queued data-centre projects have a customer
The NESO figure Ofgem's consultation left out: of the data-centre projects that answered the system operator, just 32% reported a secured off-taker — 68% had none.
Why it matters: The queue overstates real demand — which matters for every grid-reinforcement and siting decision built on it.
Source: Yeandel / NESO [V]
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Industry push to mandate heat recovery from new data centres
EnergiRaven and the Association for Decentralised Energy want all new data centres above 1MW built with heat-offtake infrastructure, and AI Growth Zones planned around consented heat-network 'spines'. Polling they commissioned found 58% of Britons think planning permission should depend on sharing waste heat.
Why it matters: A rare 'yes, but' — the build-out could heat homes if the pipework is mandated up front, not retrofitted.
Source: Data Centre Magazine [C]
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Government concedes it is 'managing speculative applications'
A written answer (HL3474) says the government is working with Ofgem, NESO and DESNZ to 'manage speculative applications' for data-centre connections — without saying how many or how much of the pipeline is speculative.
Why it matters: The department that cites the pipeline now hints part of it isn't real.
Source: UK Parliament [V]
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Government launches 'GB Grid' to speed connections
A publicly-owned arm of Great British Energy that will invest in networks and allow developers to self-build connections, aimed at the queue that has grown from 41GW to 125GW, over 80GW of it data centres.
Why it matters: Grid access, not planning, is now the gate — and it is a political priority.
Source: City AM [V]
Watchlist — what lands next
| What | State | When |
|---|---|---|
| Data-centre National Policy Statement (NPS) | Still unpublished; projects already being directed into the NSIP regime without it. | Expected 'shortly after' the Jan 2026 regulations |
| Ofgem 'Curate' data-centre connection reform | Consultation closed 17 Sep 2026; decision pending — commitment fee £237,500–£712,500/MW. | Decision later in 2026 |
| Scotland — hyperscale planning guidance | Parliament agreed no decisions on hyperscale applications until guidance is published. | Guidance expected by December 2026 |
| Draft London Plan — data-centre policy GLE3 | Consultation closed 15 October 2026; responses under consideration. | Next draft / adoption pending |
| National Scheme of Delegation for planning functions (SI 2026/854) | Standardises which applications go to officers vs committee; non-compliant committee decisions open to judicial review. | In force 31 October 2026 |
| EU data-centre standards and rating scheme | Commission has adopted a data-centre sustainability rating scheme; consultation on minimum performance standards remains open. | Consultation closes 14 December 2026 |
| Environmental Audit Committee report (HC 22) | Inquiry 'Risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK'; report + government response due. | Awaiting publication |
| Three Rivers Local Plan examination | Plan submitted; examination in H1 2027, adoption targeted Sep 2027. | Submission 30 November 2026 |
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Fully sourced, no invented numbers
Every entry names its source and how it is known — verified, a designated claim, our calculation, or a gap. Where a claim is contested, we say so. See all reports & explainers →