Ms Aoife MacEvilly:

I will be brief. There is a way forward but we have to do things differently. Business as usual is not an option. We cannot keep signing off and connecting data centres to our energy networks faster than we can deliver the network, the renewables and the gas backup generation capacity needed for those data centres. That is not just a security of supply issue; it is now a carbon ceiling issue. We have to do things differently, and there are ways forward. That is why we are working on the large energy user connection policy for electricity and gas. It is to find out those ways forward where we can meet the State's twin goals of digitalisation and carbonisation. Some of the options have been mentioned. Colocation, energy parks and building data centres where they can support the removal of constraints on the grid are certainly among those. There may be other options where colocation is not required, in other words, where a data centre can bring a battery on. It does not necessarily have to be onsite so long as the battery can help mitigate demand at peak times. That flexibility and all of those options are under consideration. I think we will find a way forward.

Gas might look a little different. If there are gas connections, we might be looking for data centres to support biogas development and have completely renewable gas generation. There are options and it is useful to know the data centre community is also interested in finding those options as well. We will find a way forward on this.