Ms Margie McCarthy:

It is very difficult to get information from the existing data centres. What is very important in capturing waste or surplus heat from data centres is that it is built into the design before a centre is constructed. We know there is potential in Ireland at the moment to add in with data centres. We have seen the success in Tallaght where this was built into the design right from the outset.

In terms of where we are at the moment, Ms Sheehan and I along with a number of others in the organisation are working very closely with the display energy certificate, DEC, on the working group. Out of the heat study, essentially we have produced candidate areas of heat demand which are largely urban or town population areas. The next step now is looking at where the key sources of heat are and where the anchor tenants are. They are usually public buildings or large services within those zones. That is the next stage. What is really important in measuring feasibility with those is a national commitment to district heating. I could not have said it more strongly than in the opening statement. We really need a commitment to district heating and then a movement through it like electrification, or like the pace with which we built out the gas network. That is how we will have to do it with district heating if we really want it to play a part.