UK Grid Overwhelmed by Data-Center Requests for Connections

The UK’s National Grid Plc said requests to link up to the network are now dominated by data centers as tech firms rush to add vast quantities of new processing power.

Grid-connection requests are soaring, and data hubs now account for more than half of new demand, National Grid Chief Executive Officer John Pettigrew said on a conference call Thursday. The firm aims to connect as much as 19 gigawatts of new facilities in five years, equal to about a third of current peak demand.

Data centers require massive, constant flows of power: A single 100-megawatt site can consume as ...