Planning and Infrastructure Act
UK law of December 2025 that speeds planning consent and lets ministers reorder grid connections.
HM Treasury said on 28 October 2026 that it will use the Planning and Infrastructure Act's grid powers to move strategic data centres up Britain's connection queue, provided they meet the Data Centre Covenant's jobs tests.
Last refreshed: 6 November 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Who gets to jump Britain's grid queue under the new planning law?
Timeline for Planning and Infrastructure Act
Provided the powers to prioritise grid connections
AI: Jobs, Power & Money: Treasury asks data centres for good jobsBackground
The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025. It speeds consent for nationally significant infrastructure projects, creates a Nature Restoration Fund run by Natural England, and lets councils delegate more planning decisions to officers. Much of it takes effect through commencement regulations, which ministers were still making through 2026.
The Act gives the Secretary of State and Ofgem powers, lasting three years from Royal Assent, to prioritise grid connections by amending electricity licences. Those powers have become a lever in data-centre policy: in October 2026 the Treasury tied them to local jobs and training.
They work alongside a separate overhaul of the connection queue, under which offers began going out in May 2026 with AI Growth Zones at the front.
What is the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025?
When did the Planning and Infrastructure Act become law?
How does the Planning and Infrastructure Act affect grid connections?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 6 November 2026. Editorial standards.