Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

However, as the Deputy knows, many of the land-based wind projects happening around the country are funded by companies looking to move away from a reliance on carbon-based fuels to renewable energies. That will happen both offshore and onshore. Whether it is off the coast of Wicklow or Cork, we will see that. I do not see that as a bad thing; rather, I see it as an industry building to scale in Ireland, which will ultimately decarbonise our overall economy and society in a positive way.

I do not want to give the impression that I am downplaying the responsibility of the State in a policy towards data centres; I am not. I am just saying that data centres are an important part of the Irish economy today and will be into the future even more so. We need to make sure we are strategic in where they are developed and how they are powered. We also need to ensure they are sustainable in respect of how they are powered as they use an increasing amount of our overall electricity demand. I think we can get the balance right. The conversations with all of the large data companies that have data centres reflect that, whether they be IDA or EI clients.