Gate 2 Phase 1
First tranche of GB's reformed grid connections queue for sites meeting Ofgem's readiness criteria.
Gate 2 Phase 1 is the first tranche of Britain's reformed grid connections queue, live since NESO began issuing offers in mid-May 2026. A connection attaches to whoever holds secured land rights, typically the site developer rather than a leasing tenant.
Last refreshed: 14 August 2026
Who holds a Gate 2 connection when a tenant leases capacity from the site owner?
Timeline for Gate 2 Phase 1
Mentioned in: Nebius takes AI capacity in Newport
Data Centres: Boom and BacklashMentioned in: UK Gate 2 grid offers begin issuing
Data Centres: Boom and BacklashBackground
Gate 2 Phase 1 is the first tranche of Great Britain's reformed transmission connections queue, launched after Ofgem approved the Gate 2 Criteria Methodology in April 2025. NESO began issuing the first offers under the reform from mid-May 2026, giving AI Growth Zones priority access and bill discounts against a queue that had grown past 45 GW, more than the country's entire peak demand.
A Gate 2 offer requires secured land rights over a project's site boundary plus strategic alignment. It attaches to whoever holds those rights, typically the site developer rather than a tenant leasing capacity within an already-connected campus. Vantage Data Centers' Newport lease to Nebius illustrates the split: Vantage holds the site's grid position, and Nebius contracts with it commercially rather than acquiring a connection of its own.
Projects with agreements to connect by 31 December 2027 keep their Phase 1 queue position as 'protected projects'. Neither Ofgem nor NESO publishes a distinct capacity threshold or eligibility test separating Phase 1 from Gate 2 more broadly.