National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) has announced a strategic partnership with The Data Centre Alliance (DCA).
The partnership strengthens how NGED works with the data centre sector, it said, and “provides clear touch points for engagement, earlier access to guidance, and more opportunities to shape connection solutions before formal applications are submitted”.
Through The DCA, NGED will provide members with direct access to its strategic customer engagement teams, including pre-application discussions, application guidance and ongoing engagement to support the development of connection strategies that reflect both technical and commercial requirements.
The partnership “creates a stronger feedback loop between developers and the network”, it added, helping NGED “build a clearer view of future demand and prepare the system accordingly”.
NGED is already supporting major data centre developments across its regions, with over 2 GW of accepted connections currently in its pipeline. This reflects the scale and pace of investment coming forward, and the growing importance of electricity networks in enabling it, it added.
NGED is investing £7.5 billion through ED2 to upgrade its network, increase capacity and build greater flexibility into the system.
Roisin Quinn, Chief Operating Officer at National Grid Electricity Distribution, said:
“This partnership brings us closer to a sector that is central to economic growth across our regions.
“Data centre developers are making major investment decisions at pace. They need clarity on how and when they can connect, and confidence that the infrastructure will be there to support them. By working more closely in partnership with The DCA, we can understand those requirements earlier, plan more effectively, and design and deliver innovative connections.
“This is about supporting jobs, attracting investment and enabling growth across the Midlands, South West and South Wales, while playing our part in the UK’s wider ambitions for AI and digital services. Our role is to make sure the network is ready.”
Steve Hone, Co-Founder and CEO of The DCA, said:
“We’re delighted to be working in strategic partnership with National Grid Electricity Distribution. Bringing the network and data centre communities closer together is critical to supporting the UK’s rapidly growing digital and AI infrastructure, strengthening grid resilience, and unlocking sustainable economic growth.”
Image courtesy of National Grid
