Britain’s largest data centre will be powered by gas because of delays connecting to the grid.

The £9bn development in Bedfordshire, which is three times the size of the UK’s existing biggest data centre, will be entirely fuelled by a gas generation station until 2034 to ensure a “reliable” supply, planning documents show.

Steve Reed, the Housing Secretary, last week gave permission for the data centre to count as a nationally significant project, meaning it can bypass the council when seeking planning permission.

A growing number of data centres in Britain are planning to rely on gas because of a decade-long grid backlog, putting the AI industry at odds with Labour’s net zero policies.

Read more: You can’t have a gas boiler … BUT … Britain’s biggest data centre to be powered by gas