UK-based renewable energy firm Innova has submitted ten data center projects as part of the National Energy System Operator’s (NESO) “Gate 2 to Whole Queue process” reform of the UK’s grid connections queue.

The projects have a combined capacity of 4.4GW. Of the projects, five are hybrid schemes colocated with Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).

The hybrid projects include a 400MW facility in Daines (Manchester), a 500MW project in East Claydon (Buckinghamshire), a 500MW facility in Feckenham (Worcestershire), a 500MW facility in Hawthorn Pit (County Durham), and a 500MW project in Overton (Hampshire).

The data center-only projects include a 400MW project in Drakelow (Derbyshire), a 400MW facility in Norwich, a 400MW project in Swansea North, a 400MW facility in Thorpe March (South Yorkshire), and finally a 400MW project in Willington (Derbyshire).

Following the proposals, NESO will conduct evidence checks and initial queue formation. Innova stated that the expectation is that transmission customers will begin receiving notifications about the outcome of its Gate 2 applications in Q4 2025. According to the company, based on its understanding of each individual substation the data centers are seeking to connect to, it will receive connection dates between 2029 and 2032.

The projects are the first to be proposed by Innova, which has predominantly focused on renewable energy projects. The company was launched back in 2014 by Robin Dummett and Andrew Kaye. As of early 2025, the company had a development pipeline of more than 26GW comprised of solar and BESS projects.

NESO proposed a series of interconnection reforms earlier this year to clear the UK’s interconnection queue. The reforms were approved by the UK’s electricity regulator in April. NESO claimed that the reforms would clear more than 750GW of projects currently in the UK’s connection queue.

The reform was conducted as a means to support the UK government’s Clean Power Action Plan, which could see around £40 billion ($51.3bn) of investment into the clean energy sector between 2025 and 2030.

In addition, the reforms were considered as a means to provide data centers an expedited route to market. Data centers in the UK market currently face long lead times for connection, around five to ten years on average, with some facing connection dates as far into the future as the 2030s.