France eyes steps to speed up data centre grid connections

By Forrest Crellin

PARIS, April ‌23 (Reuters) - France ​could ​allow large data centre projects to temporarily connect to underground cable systems as part of an overhaul of ‌its grid connection system, as it tries to cut ⁠development times and attract investment, the energy ministry said on Thursday.

France, like much ‌of Europe, has struggled in ‌recent years with long and cumbersome electricity connection queues as data centre operators race to plug into the grid and ​get to market.

The bottlenecks have encouraged so-called "ghost projects", where companies secure grid slots for developments that may never be built, ⁠crowding out rivals and, in some cases, allowing slots to be traded under a ​first-come, first-served system.

As a short-term fix, the government is considering allowing some large projects to connect to the ​underground cable network, alongside broader reforms ‌to the current queuing system, the ministry said in its electrification plan.

"Having more data centres in ⁠the country also means moving towards our digital sovereignty and towards the decarbonisation of the economy," a government official told reporters.

The temporary underground connection ⁠option could be available by the end of the month and would ​provide power to several very large projects, helping them meet tight time-to-market deadlines, the official said.

A deeper overhaul of the grid queue will take longer. ‌Energy regulator CRE is running a consultation, with a decision expected by the end of the ‌year, the ministry said.

The regulator aims to boost France's appeal to ⁠investors by cutting connection costs ‌and delays, which in ​some European countries can stretch to a decade because of clogged queues.

(Reporting by Forrest Crellin. Editing by ‌Mark Potter)

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