Government to tackle speculative demand grid connection requests

Reforms will strengthen conditions for joining and remaining in the queue for demand connections, and prioritise projects that deliver growth and jobs.

Projects that drive growth and jobs will be powered up faster as government consults on new powers to clamp down on speculative electricity grid connection applications. 

The queue for demand connections to the transmission network has been swamped with applications, growing by 460% in the 6 months to June 2025. Speculative applications are inflating the pipeline, delaying connections for strategically important projects. This has contributed to waits of up to 15 years for projects to connect to the grid.

To address this, the government is consulting on measures to tackle speculative applications, address the oversubscribed queue, and accelerate viable projects that will benefit Britain. This includes data centres and AI Growth Zones, EV charging hubs and electrified industrial sites to revitalise Britain’s industrial heartlands. 

These measures will support the government’s clean energy superpower mission and maintain energy security by tackling backlogs in the queue, while unblocking projects that are vital to innovation, economic growth and decarbonisation.