Several data center operators in the UK are considering the possibility of linking their facilities to the country’s natural gas pipelines.

According to reporting from the FT, five major data center projects in the south of England have formally inquired about the possibility of connecting to pipelines run by National Gas, the UK’s independent gas supplier.

“The national gas transmission network is ready to play a key role in facilitating this critical investment today while working in partnership with the electricity networks,” Ian Radley, chief commercial officer at National Gas, told the FT.

According to National Gas, the potential customers had shown interest in constructing gas-fired power plants on the site of the data centers to ensure a steady, reliable supply of power.

While it did not disclose details of the five data center projects, National Gas said that it would require around 2.5GW of capacity to power the projects.

The UK’s national gas transmission network spans approximately 7,600km (5,000 miles). National Gas is the sole owner of the network.

The inquiries are the first in the UK market, however, onsite gas generation is fast becoming a popular alternative to grid power across the world. This is primarily due to the long wait times data center operators face to connect to the electricity grid. In the UK, for instance, it’s not uncommon to wait between five to ten years for a grid connection.

Over recent months, we have seen a swathe of deals, ranging across the European and US markets. In June, data center developer CyrusOne partnered with European energy company E.ON to develop a 61MW natural gas-powered power plant to expand the capacity of its FRA7 data center in Frankfurt to 126MW.

In the US market, we have seen the most activity, due to its ample natural gas reserves. Earlier this month, utility American Electric Power partnered with two gas pipeline companies to serve a fuel cell facility set to power a data center behind-the-meter.

US regulators have also looked to streamline the process of constructing new pipelines to meet surging demand from the data center sector. In June, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission passed several measures to streamline the construction of natural gas infrastructure across the US.

This has led to utilities to plan for massive pipeline buildouts over the next two decades. A report earlier this year by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found that utilities in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia are planning to build more than 20GW of natural gas power plants by 2040.