Projects

Started

Applied Research and Development

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Computer Science and Informatics)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
National Grid Electricity Transmission

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 June 2025

30 June 2026

ENA months

£230,000

Power

London

Network Innovation Allowance

Project Contact, National Grid Electricity Transmission

R&D has been selected as the approach for this project as it enables a thorough investigation of long-term drivers for data centre growth, market trends, emerging technologies, future uncertainties etc. that standard methods may not adequately address. R&D allows for the development of tailored forecasting models and the identification of innovative grid and non-grid solutions to manage these connections.Data Quality Statement (DQS):? The project will be delivered under the NIA framework in line with OFGEM, ENA and NGGT / NGET internal policy. Data produced as part of this project will be subject to quality assurance to ensure that the information produced with each deliverable is accurate to the best of our knowledge and sources of information are appropriately documented. All deliverables and project outputs will be stored on our internal sharepoint platform ensuring access control, backup and version management. Relevant project documentation and reports will also be made available on the ENA Smarter Networks Portal and dissemination material will be shared with the relevant stakeholders. Measurement Quality Statement (MQS): ? The methodology used in this project will be subject to our suppliers own quality assurance regime. Quality assurance processes and the source of data, measurement processes and equipment as well as data processing will be clearly documented and verifiable. The measurements, designs and economic assessments will also be clearly documented in the relevant deliverables and final project report and will be made available for review. In line with the ENA's ENIP document, the risk rating is scored low.TRL Steps = 2Cost = 1Suppliers = 1Data Assumption = 2 WP1 focuses on establishing an evidence base for data centre developments, including existing and pipeline projects, siting drivers, growth patterns, and developer perspectives. It will consolidate publicly available data, engage with key industry stakeholders, and explore both technical and commercial considerations shaping data centre demand. The outputs of this work package will inform scenario development and grid-level mitigation strategy design in WP2.WP2 builds on the research phase and stakeholder insights to develop future data centre growth scenarios and assess potential grid side mitigation strategies. Scenarios will be informed by market understanding, developer insights, and regional planning trends, with spatial modelling used to identify potential zones for data centre development. Additionally, this work package will explore the use of statistical modelling to predict data centre capacity and siting.WP3 focuses on the development of an interactive visualisation tool to support scenario exploration and inform strategic planning, building on the spatial and temporal modelling conducted in WP2. The dashboard will integrate data centre growth scenarios with network development plans where applicable, enabling NGET to observe potential network impacts and identify emerging constraints in a user-friendly interface.WP4 builds on the scenario projections and visualisation tools developed in WP2 and WP3 to enable assessment of the network impacts associated with future data centre growth. It involves constructing a simplified static AC load flow model of the England & Wales transmission system and evaluating the thermal and voltage impacts of different datacentre scenarios. This will be provided alongside the visualisation tool and will support in anticipating where constraints may emerge under different scenarios and what mitigation measures may be required. The objective of this project is to extend existing modelling tools within NGET with long-term data centre demand forecasts and investigate the mitigation strategies, both grid and non-grid, to alleviate congestion on the network.

Data centres are rapidly emerging as a concentrated and growing source of electricity demand. Their scale, speed of deployment, and clustering tendencies pose a unique set of challenges for NGETs transmission network planning. As this demand accelerates, it becomes critical to understand not only the total load increase, but also the location, timing, and operational characteristics of new facilities. This project focuses on understanding and visualising data centre projections, alongside a review of possible network mitigation strategies. The objective is to support NGETs understanding of the key factors influencing data centre siting and operation, and to inform strategic planning by improving visibility of potential future scenarios both across the England & Wales transmission network and at the GSP level within distribution networks.

24/04/26