Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will pick up on Senator Higgins's point about the data centres and tease that back. Mr. Foley said much of the increase in demand comes from electric vehicles, heat pumps and data centres. It is true to say that the bulk of it is coming from data centres. In managing our grid infrastructure, would EirGrid favour a change in the planing regulations? Dr. Ryan said that he works with An Bord Pleanála. Should our planning regulations not now be taking account of the cumulative impact of data centres on our emissions targets and on our infrastructural capacity? Would EirGrid favour such a mechanism? Reference was made to favouring the move of data centres away from Dublin and that EirGrid would certainly support that.

A report by the Irish Academy of Engineering in 2019 said an estimated €6 billion investment in the infrastructure would be required to support the influx of data centres. How can we ensure it is not the public purse that picks up the cost of that infrastructural investment and that the data centres that require such critical infrastructure carry the burden of this cost? What are the options to prevent more gas-powered generators coming on line, in line with the data centres?

I have a final question for Mr. Foley on the importance of the single electricity market and that a fully independent market in the North would likely increase the cost of electricity for customers in the North. Does Mr. Foley have a view on where EirGrid stands on the options put forward in the Northern Ireland Utilities Regulator call for evidence report? I believe there were four options. Does EirGrid have a preferred option in that call for evidence?