Data processing centers for artificial intelligence in the UK are planning to switch to their own independent gas generation and have therefore submitted requests for connection to gas pipelines. About this reports Financial Times.
Five major data center projects in the south of England have made formal inquiries to National Gas. The private owner of British gas pipelines told the Financial Times about this.
“National Gas is poised to play a key role in facilitating these critical investments today, working in partnership with the power grids”, said Ian Radley, chief commercial officer of National Gas, owned by Australian asset manager Macquarie.
The company did not disclose the details of the projects, but noted that their total need will be about 2.5 gigawatts of power. This is equivalent to the amount of electricity that can provide several million households.
Delays in the creation of data centers in Great Britain are mainly related to the long process of connecting to power networks. The use of own gas generation should speed up the implementation of such projects.
Theodora Kaneva, Head of Intelligent Infrastructure and Systems at trade group TechUK, highlighted that problems with access to electricity grids and high electricity tariffs are “one of the biggest challenges for investment in the UK”.
“Recently there was a case when we had a data center that needed additional capacity – they were supposed to get it in September this year, but now they are getting it in 2037”, explained Teodora Kaneva.
Such requests indicate that the need for quick access to energy is forcing data centers to turn to fossil fuels, even as technology companies pledge to reduce CO₂ emissions. A similar trend is observed in the USA, where more and more data centers rely on gas-fired power plants. Siemens Energy, a German power equipment manufacturer, attributed the sharp increase in demand for gas turbines in the US to a record order book of nearly 136 billion euros in August.
According to the Global Energy Monitor, more than 85 gas-fired power plants are currently under construction in the world to meet the growing energy needs of data centers for artificial intelligence. The International Energy Agency predicts that data center electricity consumption could more than double to 945 terawatt-hours by 2045 — slightly more than the current annual electricity consumption of all of Japan.
