Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

As well as the potentially disastrous consequences for CO2 emissions and water usage of constructing further data centres, it is important that ordinary people who may not know much about what data centres are and what value they give, which is little in terms of employment. As Deputy Murphy explained, much of what they do is highly questionable in respect of their contribution to the betterment of society. People also need to understand that there is a connection between the significant energy price hikes that they have experienced over the past year and data centres. Energy prices are going up and people’s bills are increasing because there is a major surge in demand for energy globally, with data centres in this country and throughout the world contributing significantly to that surge. People need to understand that this issue is, in the first instance, about the climate emergency and the damage such centres do to our environment, but it is also hitting people in their pockets as we speak with hikes of between 20% and 40% in their energy bills. People in this country have been subject two, three or four energy price hikes, amounting to hundreds of euro annually.

As well as saying we should stop the construction of data centres, we should insist that carbon tax increases be set aside in the next budget. Any increase on top of those price hikes for ordinary people would be grossly unjust. Carbon tax increases are aggressive and unfair. They should be set aside and energy price caps should be imposed to stop the hikes, which are robbing ordinary people because of issues that are not their fault.

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