Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department made of the potential merits of delaying connection offers for some protected battery projects and data centres to allow NESO and DESNZ to undertake other key activities to ensure projects can be delivered in time for 2030.

NESO’s connections reforms have reduced the queue for generation and storage connections by over half, with the queue now largely in line with the capacity ranges set out in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.

We are aware that the volume of batteries in the queue exceeds that range. Nevertheless, the queue outcomes reflect consistent application of the agreed and published connection methodologies, designed to ensure fairness and maintain investor confidence.

As set out in November 2025’s ‘Delivering AI Growth Zones’ announcement, government is working closely with the regulator, NESO, and network companies, to deliver further reforms to the grid connection process for demand, to manage speculative data centre applications.