Resources · Post · 21 July 2026 · Pete Clutton-Brock

Data centres draw a fifth of the capacity they contract

UKPN's half-hourly profiles for 96 connected data centres show the fleet averaging 20.8% of agreed import capacity; its busiest half-hour in 40 months hit 26.5%. Neither history nor contracted MW alone can plan for the AI demand now in the queue.

Chart: the past won't predict data centre demand, share of contracted capacity UKPN's 96 connected data centres drew, 2023 to 2026
Data: UK Power Networks, Data Centre Demand Profiles, as read for this post in July 2026, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Chart by Yottar.