The grid arrives after the building
Operators in Germany and the UK have announced gas plants on their own campuses because the grid connection would come later than the data hall.
On-site power · Data centres
Power the site before the grid arrives.
When the grid connection is years away, or the site is far from a substation, gas engines or turbines on site can carry the load. We check whether that works for your site, map the permits and integrate the controls.
GridPass does the feasibility, planning and controls. Engine and turbine suppliers provide the generating plant. Authorities decide permits and connections.
Clear optionsSite-specific workTechnical evidence
The problem
A late grid date can stop a finished building.
On-site generation is now a normal part of data-centre planning in Europe. It also brings its own connection, permit and delivery questions.
Some rules now require it
Ireland’s December 2025 connection policy requires new data centres of 10 MVA or more to bring dispatchable generation or storage that covers their full import capacity.
Gas has its own queue
A plant needs a gas connection, an emissions permit and equipment with a confirmed delivery date. Any one of them can set the schedule.
How it works
From a power gap to a plant that works with the grid.
We start with the three dates that decide the project: equipment delivery, gas connection and permits.
Size the gap
Set out the load by build phase, the expected grid date and how many megawatts the site needs until then.
Check gas and permits
Review gas network capacity at the location and the emissions rules that apply at your plant size.
Compare the plant
Compare engines, turbines and battery share against your load shape, redundancy need and quoted delivery dates.
Integrate the controls
Design one site controller for the plant, the battery and the load, ready to run in parallel with the grid later.
What you get
A clear answer before you order equipment.
The review tells you whether on-site power fits the site, what it needs and what could delay it.
- ✓On-site power brief
Megawatts needed per phase, fuel demand, footprint, and the noise and emissions points to check.
- ✓Permit and connection map
The permits and thresholds that apply, the gas connection questions and who decides each one.
- ✓Plant options compared
Engines, turbines and battery share side by side, with the delivery dates suppliers quote.
- ✓Cost and carbon picture
Fuel cost per MWh at your gas price, CO2 per MWh and emissions trading cost where it applies.
- ✓Control and grid-transition design
Island operation, load steps, synchronising to the grid, and the plant’s role once the connection is live.
When the grid arrives
The plant keeps its value after connection.
We design the controls for all three stages from the start, so the site does not need a second integration project later.
Run on site power
The plant carries the whole site. A battery absorbs fast load steps and keeps the engines in a steady range.
Share with a limited connection
A first or flexible connection supplies part of the load. The controller keeps import within the agreed limit and the plant covers the rest.
Move to the grid
The grid supplies the site. The plant stays as backup, or as dispatchable capacity where the market and the permit allow it.
Questions
Straight answers on gas power.
On-site gas is a bridge, and it does not suit every site. We say so when it does not.
Does GridPass supply or operate the turbines?
No. We do the feasibility work, the permit and connection map and the control integration. The generating plant comes from engine and turbine suppliers, and can be owned by you or by an energy provider. We help you compare their offers.
Gas engines or gas turbines?
It depends on plant size and load shape. Engines come in smaller units, which makes redundancy and phased growth simpler. Turbines put more power on less land. We compare both against your load and against the delivery dates suppliers actually quote, because delivery often decides the choice.
Which permits apply?
In the EU, combustion plant from 1 MW up to 50 MW thermal input falls under the Medium Combustion Plant Directive and needs a permit or registration. Plant of 50 MW thermal input or more falls under the Industrial Emissions Directive. Above 20 MW total thermal input the site also joins the EU Emissions Trading System. National rules add planning, noise and gas connection steps.
What about emissions?
Gas generation emits CO2. An open-cycle gas turbine at about 30% efficiency emits roughly 500 kg of CO2 per MWh, and more efficient plant emits less. The review states the figure for your design, with the emissions trading cost where it applies. Biomethane or hydrogen blends reduce it only as far as the supplier certifies and the fuel is available at the site.
How long does it take?
That depends on equipment delivery, the gas connection and permits. We do not quote a general figure. Checking those three dates for your site is the first step of the review.
What if there is no gas network near the site?
Then on-site gas may not be the right route. The review covers the alternatives for that location, such as a larger battery, phased energisation or a different connection route, and says clearly if none of them works.
Sources
- Matheson: Large Energy Users Connection Policy Decision (CRU, 12 December 2025)
- Clean Energy Wire: Data centres in Germany planning own fossil fuel plants, citing slow grid connections (25 July 2025)
- City AM: Grid delays force AI data centre to seek alternative power (13 July 2026)
- Directive (EU) 2015/2193 on medium combustion plants
- Directive 2010/75/EU on industrial emissions
- Directive 2003/87/EC establishing the EU Emissions Trading System
- IPIECA: Open-cycle gas turbines (2022)
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