Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the impact of energy infrastructure procurement times on the delivery timeline for nationally significant data centres.

Government recognises the impact of electricity infrastructure procurement times on data centres and is supporting supply chains and skills across industry through the Sector Growth Plan, to improve demand visibility, strengthen domestic manufacturing, and help reduce lead times and support earlier investment decisions.

This is part of a package of measures to accelerate network build and connections, including for data centres, that includes exploring direct high-voltage connections and self-build of electricity assets, reforms to manage speculative demand applications and accelerate strategically important projects including AI Growth Zones, and establishing the AI Energy Council to explore opportunities to attract investment.