The Pulse
Grid Delays Could Hold Nscale’s UK Supercomputer Until the Mid-2030s
Nscale’s planned supercomputer in Loughton, Essex, may not receive enough grid power until the early to mid-2030s, despite a planned 2027 launch. The site is among 315 UK data centres waiting for connections, with requests totalling 73 giga
AI.info Team ·
315 data centres are waiting for power
Britain has 315 data centres in the queue for grid connections, with requests totalling 73 gigawatts—well above the country’s 45GW peak electricity demand. Nscale’s planned supercomputer in Loughton, Essex, is among the projects facing a wait: it is seeking up to 90 megawatts, enough electricity to power about 315,000 homes. The power delay was first reported by Morning Intelligence and subsequently reported by The Guardian on September 24. The site may not receive enough grid power until the early to mid-2030s.
That timetable would push the project far beyond its planned 2027 launch. Nscale is building the site, which the UK government described in 2025 as the country’s largest sovereign AI data centre. The delay turns access to electricity—not just the construction of computing hardware—into a direct limit on when the facility can operate.
Grid capacity sets the timetable
UK Power Networks, which would connect the site to the local distribution grid, declined to comment on the individual project. A spokesperson said many data centres were waiting for work on the wider electricity transmission network before they could begin operating. Large sites need that higher-level network to deliver power at the scale they require.
National Grid said it was working with the National Energy System Operator, distribution network operators and customers to find ways to speed up connections where possible.
“We’re continuing to work closely with NESO [the government-owned National Energy System Operator], distribution network operators and customers to identify opportunities to accelerate connections where possible and support economic growth.”
National Grid
The government said it was reforming the application process with Ofgem and the system operator so that viable projects receive connections. Those measures may help manage the queue, but the report gives no date for when the Loughton site itself could get sufficient power.
Nscale is considering alternatives
Nscale said it was “committed to the project.” The company is investigating whether it can generate electricity on site and whether it can accelerate its grid connection, according to the Guardian. The site has been cleared of the scaffolding-yard operation that occupied it earlier in the year, but a cleared plot does not resolve the supply constraint.
The power problem adds to earlier doubts about the project’s schedule. In March, the Guardian reported that the planned location was still being used as a scaffolding yard; Nscale later said it aimed to deliver the data centre in 2027. A facility can be built only when both the site and the power infrastructure are ready to support it.
A larger queue than national peak demand
Ofgem’s figures put the pressure on connections in perspective: the 73GW sought by queued data centres is about 1.6 times the UK’s 45GW peak demand. Those are requested connection capacities, not a forecast that every project will be built or draw power at once. Still, the scale helps explain why local distribution connections alone may not be enough to bring large facilities online.
For Nscale, the immediate unknowns are whether on-site generation can bridge the gap and whether network upgrades can bring forward a grid connection. Until those questions are answered, the company’s planned 2027 start remains at odds with the reported power timetable.