Professor Hannah Daly:

I will be very brief. In theory, once we have excess renewable energy and the strategic network is in place, Ireland may be a fantastic location to expand data centres. I would be more optimistic than Professor McMullin and would say that could happen in the 2030s but not until those conditions are in place. Right now, data centres are expanding with fossil fuels and the narrative is that is compatible with our climate goals because, in the future, they can be powered with renewables, hydrogen or whatever it is and connect to the distribution networks, but those conditions have to be in place first to be compatible with our carbon budgets.