New homes in London were delayed by 'energy-hungry' data centres
7 days ago
- #housing-crisis
- #data-centers
- #energy-demand
- Rapid growth of energy-hungry data centers is delaying new housing developments in London.
- Data centers require massive electricity from the National Grid, straining capacity.
- Some housing projects in west London were delayed due to full grid capacity.
- Energy capacity has become a constraint on housing and economic growth in London.
- Short-term fixes were implemented to prevent worst-case scenarios, but delays persist.
- Data centers are expected to increase UK electricity demand by up to 600% by 2050.
- One data center's energy usage is comparable to 100,000 households.
- Over half of new data centers are planned in and around London.
- Calls for faster grid upgrades and better energy coordination for housing and data centers.
- Recommendations include a separate planning category for data centers and dedicated policies in the London Plan.