AI energy demands a problem

Posted: 12th December 2025

Britain’s AI boom is running straight into an energy wall, and nuclear power was supposed to act as its crutch to get around it. Instead, the government has hit pause, just as data centre demand is set to explode, leading investors wondering whether the UK risks talking itself out of its opportunity. Recent analysis from the Nuclear Industry Association and Oxford Economics warned that data-centre electricity demand will jump more than fivefold by 2030, swallowing nearly nine per cent of the UK’s total power use. The AI labs and hyperscalers behind that surge want plug in-ready, 24/7 power, all within two years. Britain currently hands out grid connections on a ten year timetable. This forms the backdrop to Rachel Reeves’ decision to stall a sweeping package of planning reforms that had promised to finally streamline nuclear development. Fingleton’s review, which coined the now-infamous ‘fish disco’ as a symbol of regulatory overreach, was meant to clear undergrowth.

City AM 9th Dec 2025

https://www.cityam.com/britains-nuclear-lag-could-cost-its-ai-crown/