Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Bríd Smith asked about data centres and demand. Has Gas Networks Ireland, GNI, been in contact with the CRU about the former's concerns? Much of the focus has been on grid connection. From looking at the graph using GNI's data, though, there is exponential growth in gas demand by data centres. The concern is that, if we are not controlling that stream, the centres' other option is diesel generation, which would blow our carbon budget out of the water. Has GNI flagged these concerns with the commission and what action is CRU taking on them? To reduce our dependency on gas as part of the EU's solidarity with Ukraine's war effort, we have signed up to a 15% demand reduction.