#75 The Demand Connection Conundrum - Part 4 with David Wildash, Chief Strategy Officer, Apatura

In the final episode of The Demand Connection Conundrum series, Connectologist® Pete Aston and colleague Philip Bale speak with David Wildash, Chief Strategy Officer at Apatura, exploring how strategic demand placement in Scotland could unlock a £45 billion market opportunity while reducing curtailment costs for all consumers. The core opportunity: Apatura is developing 2.3GW of data centre demand in Scotland's central belt, positioning major loads where excess renewables exist—benefiting the system and end consumers. Key Issues • Generation-demand inequity – After 15-20 years of de-industrialization, the UK system lacks frameworks for connecting major industrial loads at transmission level • Global competition – Capital flows to locations offering quick, resilient, cost-effective connections; UK risks losing to Europe • Bay scarcity – Transmission substations filled by generation connections • SQSS rigidity – Three-bay requirement above 300-350MW when dual bays could suffice for data centres with backup systems • Electricity Act ambiguity – Unclear whether transformers constitute transmission assets David's Solutions Transformer classification clarity – In Scotland, TOs build to isolators; generators own transformers. Simply moving where isolators and transformers sit could enable demand connections—if transformers aren't classified as transmission assets. Co-location questions – When pairing BESS (with generation license) and demand, does the generation license enable transmission ownership? Demand license regime – Replicate generation license framework, provided grid code evolves appropriately SQSS flexibility – Industrial customers with UPS and backup generation shouldn't face same security standards as domestic supply Strategic placement – Locating demand where renewables exist reduces curtailment costs—"a slam dunk from a system operator perspective" David's six-month goal: Electricity Act clarity on transmission asset definitions—the quickest unlock requiring no primary legislation.   Listen to the full series: 📌 Part 1 - Pete Aston's Series Introduction:    • #72 The Demand Connection Conundrum - Part 1   📌 Part 2 - Ryan Adams (Innova):    • #73 The Demand Connection Conundrum - Part...   📌 Part 3 - Spencer Thompson (Eclipse):    • #74 The Demand Connection Conundrum - Part...     Recorded 13th November 2025 This content was recorded on an earlier date. The connections landscape changes rapidly, so please treat any facts, figures, and guidance as a point-in-time view and verify current information before relying on it.   Our links: Website: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/ Newsletter sign up: https://roadnighttaylor.co.uk/newslet... Follow us on LinkedIn:   / roadnight-taylor-ltd   Find if we fit at info@roadnighttaylor.co.uk (mailto:info@roadnighttaylor.co.uk)