Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 10 May 2018

Working Group of Committee Chairmen

Matters of Public Policy: Discussion with Taoiseach

10:30 am

Photo of Michael McDowellMichael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am a member of the committee which shadows the Department of the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten. Deputy Hildegarde Naughton is Chairman. I am also inhibited from commenting on Deputy Carey's remarks about the Apple case because I am involved in that litigation. However, I will raise one general point quite separate from that particular case. A data centre the size of Apple would increase demand for electricity by between 6% and 8%. Four data centres would increase demand for electricity by between 26% and 32%. At the most recent meeting of the joint committee chaired by Deputy Naughton, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland indicated it planned to decrease electricity consumption in Ireland. I tried at the meeting to work out whether we want more data centres or pursue the SEAI's plan to reduce energy consumption, not simply sustainable energy consumption but all energy consumption. It became apparent that the Department for Communications, Climate Action and Environment could see the energy implications of data centres, but that another Department, the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, views the matter from a different perspective and wants to attract these industries.

Will there be a joined-up government response, asking whether we want data centres and whether we can sustain them in terms of energy? This is a real issue.

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