Transparency data

AI Energy Council minutes: Monday 13 April 2026 (HTML)

Updated 19 June 2026

Attendees

Ministerial attendance

• Kanishka Narayan MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for AI & Online Safety, DSIT (Co-chair, deputising for DSIT SoS)
• Michael Shanks MP, Minister for Energy, DESNZ (Co-chair, deputising for DESNZ SoS)

External attendees

• Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering
• Tim Jarvis, CEO, Ofgem
• Julian Leslie, Strategic Energy Planning Director and Chief Engineer, National Energy System Operator (NESO)
• Alice Delahunty, President, National Grid Electricity Transmission, National Grid
• Lawrence Slade, CEO, Energy Networks Association (ENA)
• Simone Rossi, CEO, EDF Energy
• Tom Williamson, Head of Innovation, Scottish Power
• Lincoln Hill, Director of Policy and External Affairs, Nuclear Industry Association (NIA)
• Tom Morrison-Bell, Senior Manager, Government Public Affairs and Public Policy, Google
• Clive Richardson, Senior Manager Public Policy, Amazon Web Services
• Christoph Mazur, Energy and Sustainability, Microsoft
• James Tyler, Managing Director for Equinix’s UK operations, Equinix
• Peter Stephens, Director of Government Partnerships, Arm
• Andy Hackett, Head of Policy, Centre for Net Zero

Officials

(Officials from the secretariat and Private Office were also present but have not been included).

• Oliver Ilott, Director General, Emerging Technology and AI Group, DSIT
• Farhat Raza, Deputy Director AI Infrastructure, DSIT
• Chris Cheetham-West, Director AI, DESNZ

Opening remarks

Ministers emphasised the scale of the UK’s AI aspirations and the importance of delivering investment, jobs, and economic growth across the country. The discussion was framed in the context of energy security – including implications of conflict in the Middle East – and the government’s clean energy ambitions. Both Ministers stressed that the AI and energy agendas are complementary, and that the challenge is how to deliver both at pace. The government is moving quickly across multiple fronts and is keen to explore how flexibility can be used more creatively to support AI infrastructure while maintaining system security. Participants were encouraged to share ideas and suggestions beyond formal meetings.

Presentations

DSIT set out the scale of the global AI infrastructure opportunity – £3–4 trillion of investment to 2030, the largest mobilisation of private capital since the Second World War – and the UK’s strong position as a European leader in data centres, with around 40,000 employed in the sector. Latency and security requirements point to the need for domestic compute. The group discussed the capacity requirement as set out in the Compute Roadmap 2025.

DESNZ outlined the government’s approach to bridging the gap to 2030. 125GW of demand  currently sits in the connections queue – compared to a peak of approx. 45GW. Although removing speculative projects (applications without a credible pathway to delivery) will reduce this headline figure, a substantial volume of genuine, viable demand remains in the queue. This is an international problem, not unique to the UK. Three flexibility mechanisms were presented as being explored within government: curtailment during stress events, non-firm connections with pre-defined conditions, and voluntary flexibility services offering additional revenue streams. Officials stressed the importance of well-defined parameters with a strong focus on investability, and acknowledged the conversation was at an early stage. NESO confirmed that 6GW is broadly aligned with Clean Power 2030 planning and is manageable, but that scaling beyond this would require further work.

The Royal Academy of Engineering framed high‑impact interventions that can be implemented in the near-term, while acknowledging the complexity of predicting AI workloads. IEA modelling suggests that even 1% flexibility in data centre operations could accommodate all projected global additions to 2035, and UK wind curtailment of 8.3 TWh in 2024 represents a significant untapped opportunity. Multiple dimensions of flexibility were outlined – demand shifting, spatial routing of workloads, workload scheduling, hardware efficiency, and automated modulation. Three key questions were posed: the feasibility of altering data centre SLAs; what reforms would encourage participation in flexibility; and how to balance the development of private wires against the risk of discouraging participation in broader flexibility initiatives.

Discussion

Attendees expressed in-principle openness to voluntary flexibility but highlighted practical constraints, particularly around cloud SLAs, customer expectations for 24/7 reliability, and the presence of Critical National Infrastructure workloads within data centre operations, which are difficult to distinguish. Voluntary flexibility was widely supported as the preferred route, with a site-specific approach favoured. Non-firm connections were identified as a potential barrier to investment, with concerns raised about the resulting reliance on diesel backup and associated environmental and permitting challenges. Several attendees cautioned that misaligned incentives risk pushing workloads and investment abroad.

A distinction was drawn between binary on/off curtailment and graduated demand modulation. Chip-level  modulation (a form of dynamic load management) and behind-the-meter solutions such as onsite batteries and solar were highlighted as potential practical ways to reduce grid demand without compromising service or resorting to diesel. Phased power uptake was also identified as a tool to manage demand pressure.

Attendees also raised a number of broader system questions. Some cautioned that flexibility should not become a substitute for investing in firm, dispatchable generation capacity. The importance of data centre location and the sequencing of their demand was highlighted as critical to managing grid pressures. Participants noted the importance of ensuring greater public understanding of the benefits of AI infrastructure in the UK.

Ministers closed by identifying three key themes: the need for a granular  approach; incentives that work across timing, financing, and capacity; and clarity on what commitments flexibility entails. The group was asked to help distinguish between genuine constraints and policy design issues government can address. Both Ministers stressed the importance of creative thinking about demand modulation and expressed interest in exploring behind-the-meter solutions at a future meeting.

Actions:

• DESNZ to work with a sub-group to take forward detailed technical and policy work on data centre flexibility, including incentive design, investment barriers, and modulation approaches.
• Behind-the-meter solutions to be covered at a future meeting of the Council.
• All attendees to consider the distinction between genuine constraints on flexibility and policy design issues where government intervention could provide confidence, and feed back to the AIEC Secretariat.
• Centre for Net Zero to share forthcoming paper on flexibility options for delivering 6GW with the group.