Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

A representative from the SEAI said it was a cornerstone of its strategy that we should reduce the amount of electricity we consumed, for obvious reasons. Wearing another hat, I know that, when completed, the proposed data centre in Athenry will add between 6% and 8% to Ireland's electricity consumption. There were plans - I do not know if they are still in place - to have at least four such centres in Ireland, which, on the face of it, would look like an uplift of between 28% and 35% in our electricity demand. I appreciate that electricity demand differs in that some of it is constant, while there are also peaks and troughs. It appears that IDA Ireland has been pursuing a policy of attracting data centres to Ireland and that it is Government policy, writ large, that Departments seek to attract multinational data industry investment to Ireland.

On the other hand, since we are talking about an increase of 32% or 28% from four centres or plants alone in Ireland, someone seems not to be talking the same language as other people. We have to make up our minds. Do we want data centres in Ireland? Do we want to increase our demand for electricity by that amount? How can we possibly diminish our demand for electricity in the gross while increasing it in four locations in that way? Who is going to call a halt to this plan?

It may very well be the case that some of these international companies would like to have their data centres in Ireland and I do not blame them for that. I have no doubt that it probably makes for good economics and politics to attract them to Ireland by holding out the possibility that they can locate such centres in Ireland. However, if we are going to increase our electricity consumption by the order of 30% for four centres with minimal employment consequences no matter where they are – they are care and maintenance facilities – then surely at some stage we must admit that we can no longer afford to pursue that policy, especially when we are missing all our targets.