TO BE PUBLISHED September 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for data centres in the UK.
The planned agenda will consider evolving regulatory priorities, implications of growing AI use for data centre demand, and the alignment of accelerating data centre development with national infrastructure priorities, long-term environmental sustainability, and the UK’s net zero trajectory.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to assess the evolving policy and regulatory landscape, including the designation of data centres as Critical National Infrastructure, their inclusion within the NSIP regime, and progress in delivering AI Growth Zones. Sessions will consider how these changes may affect planning, investment, and resilience requirements, alongside implications for risk management and incident reporting of the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill and the expansion of Ofcom’s regulatory role.
How data centre growth can be aligned with environmental sustainability and net zero ambitions will be discussed, in the context of the Environmental Audit Committee’s ongoing inquiry into the risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK. Attendees will examine implications of data centre growth for electricity demand and water use, alongside emerging expectations for environmental reporting, lifecycle emissions assessment, and operational transparency. The role of cooling technologies, heat reuse, and circular economy approaches in mitigating environmental impacts and addressing local community concerns will also be examined.
Further planned sessions will consider infrastructure and delivery constraints, including grid capacity, regional siting pressures, and the impact of recent reform to prioritise data centres as strategically important projects. Delegates will discuss the interaction with housing and wider infrastructure priorities, the role of co-ordinated system planning, and the supply chain readiness and workforce capacity needed to support deployment at scale.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- policy:
- findings from the Environmental Audit Committee’s inquiry - implications of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill - the role of Ofcom as a regulator
- implications of data centre expansion and AI Growth Zones for the UK’s net zero trajectory - interaction with national infrastructure policy
- the role of data centre emissions in the Seventh Carbon Budget and alignment with climate commitments
- regulatory development and oversight:
- emerging expectations for environmental reporting, lifecycle emissions accounting and operational transparency
- BNG requirements and environmental compliance obligations - assessing demand for data centres as AI use accelerates
- planning and local consent:
- balancing national infrastructure priorities with local authority responsibilities - coordination between planning authorities, environmental regulators and system operators
- implications of enabling data centres to opt into the NSIP regime
- community perceptions of data centre expansion - addressing community concerns related to land use, water availability, noise, heat, and cumulative environment impacts
- energy and water demand:
- impact of rising electricity demand as data centre growth accelerates for grid stability and system planning - operational and environmental trade-offs
- assessing different cooling approaches to reduce water consumption - opportunities and constraints for low-carbon energy sourcing
- investment:
- considerations for UK international competitiveness - strategies for maintaining long-term investor confidence - implications of energy costs for project viability
- grid connections and system integration:
- prioritising data centres within the grid connections queue - regional constraints and project timelines - interaction with housing, industrial development and wider electricity system planning
- supply chain and construction readiness:
- procurement lead times for cooling systems, switchgear, generators and high-capacity transformers - supporting supply chain resilience - managing cost pressures - ensuring timely project delivery
- workforce and technical capability:
- workforce needs across electrical engineering, thermal management, controls and data centre operations - training pathways, cross-sector skills transfer, and long-term workforce development
