Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I will go back on a few things Deputy Bruton said. He said my arguments do not stand up to scrutiny. The Government target is 70% renewable energy for the electricity sector by 2030. Over 30% of the electricity we will be using in 2030 is for data centres. It is feasible to set a 100% target for renewable energy. When setting a target, one should set a target that one has to stretch to and is ambitious, rather than something one can roll over and do easily. We need to look to achieve such a target. We are all aware that the roll-out of renewable energy, in terms of wind farms, options, guidelines and terms of reference for those corporations is taking place slowly and, if this target was there, it would bring more of a focus and impetus to get this done. It is a feasible target and one we should look to achieve.

Deputy Bruton said there is a cross-EU policy on it and data centres are delivered in Ireland in a more climate-efficient way because we have a better climate for them. Data centres do not just have an impact from a climate perspective. They also have a visual and environmental impact. I am a Deputy for Wicklow. If all the wind farms proposed to deliver energy for these data centres are in existence in ten years time, we will be looking out at three large-scale wind farms off our coastline. That will have an impact on communities in Wicklow. I understand wind farms are an absolute necessity but I would rather we had those we need rather than providing them to enable data centres to undergo exponential growth to facilitate corporations across Europe. We need to have that debate.

Deputy Bruton referenced corporation tax, which is a completely separate issue. I will be interested to know how our data centres are set regarding corporation tax. I am not saying data centres get a free ride when it comes to things like carbon tax; I am saying there has not been the requisite level of Government scrutiny and forward planning when it comes to provision of data centres. Here we are trying to set legislation to restrict our emissions while another part of government is saying that data centres can have a free ride from an energy usage perspective and it will facilitate as many centres as corporations see fit to invest in here in this country.

When I mentioned misaligned policy, I was not talking about the need for electric vehicles. I understand they will play a large part in how we meet our transport targets. I was saying that we expect people to put €30,000, €40,000 or €50,000 into an electric vehicles to reduce their emissions and environmental impact. However, if they use energy that does not come from renewable resources because we do not have the capacity to produce it as a result of the provision of increased electricity to data centres, that will undermine those individual efforts to do the right thing. Most people in this country will want to play their part in meeting emission targets. I think my arguments stand up to scrutiny.

The Minister of State questioned the technicalities of the amendment. I agree. I asked the Minister of State at the outset to take the intent. The intent is there. I ask the Minister of State to bring it back, scrutinise it and get the Bills Office or his legal advisers to look at it. There needs to be a sub-sectoral cap on emissions from electricity. We need a target of 100%. Whatever the Government feels is the best mechanism to meet it, I ask that it review that.

The Minister of State said I did not specifically mention data centres. I did not do that because we are looking at a framework document which should not look at one sector or energy user. If I had mentioned data centres, it would have been ruled out of order. I have no problem with data centres as long as the energy is renewable. The Minister of State said there has been a big debate on data centres. The problem is there has not been such a debate. We need a big debate on it.

I ask the Minister of State to bring that back and have a look at it. I will raise it at Report Stage as well. It is an important issue and, considering recent reports in the paper, it will become more prominent. I hope this discussion does become more prominent in the coming weeks and months.