Prime sites face building ban as grid hits capacity

Builders told it may be 2035 before west London developments are hooked up to electricity network

WEST London faces a de facto ban on new homes for more than a decade because the electricity grid has run out of capacity.

Housebuilders have been told it could take until 2035 to get new developments in Hillingdon, Ealing and Hounslow hooked up to the electricity network because it lacks the capacity to serve them.

Energy companies are scrambling to fix the problem while Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary, has ordered officials to monitor the situation.

The hold-up promises to delay a string of schemes in London and builders have raised fears that the issue may not be confined to the capital.

In a letter to developers, the Greater London Authority blamed the issues in west London on a string of planned data centres that are set to hoover up huge amounts of power.

The area is a popular location for these centres because it neighbours internet “superhighway” cables that run along the M4 and into the Atlantic – dubbed the “Silicon Corridor”. One data centre can consume the same amount of power as up to 10,000 homes.

This has resulted in some developers being told they cannot connect housing projects to the grid for at least another 10 years, the Financial Times reported, with data centres prioritised under a “first come, first serve” system.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, which serves part of the affected area, and the National Grid are looking at upgrading the network but this is expected to take several years.

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) said that, along with environmental rules imposed by Natural England, problems with electricity network capacity threatened to further derail the Government’s target to build 300,000 homes per year. A spokesman for the HBF said: “If we are to deliver much-needed housing, we would urge the Government to ensure its agencies and utility providers are meeting their responsibilities.”

A spokesman for the National Grid ESO said: “This is an issue with connection agreements at a local distribution network level. The electricity system operator is actively working with all the parties involved to find solutions to make the connections happen.”