Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: "notes:

—that in June 2021, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) published a proposed Direction to the System Operators related to Data Centre grid connection,for consultation, setting out a number of options for managing data centre connection demand, and EirGrid has issued advice to data centres on new requirements to connect to the grid in advance of this proposed Direction;

—that earlier this year, EirGrid carried out a nationwide public consultation on 'Shaping our Electricity Future', setting out options for strengthening the grid so that it can carry significantly more renewable generation as well as meet increasing demand from high volume energy users;

—the fundamental importance of security of energy supply which is vital for the proper functioning of society and the economy, with over two million customers relying on the electricity grid and 700,000 customers on the natural gas grid to heat and power their homes and businesses;

—that the CRU has statutory responsibility to ensure security of electricity supply;

—that all sectors of the economy will have sectoral emissions ceilings under the climate law, and that all data centres, whether using electricity or backup fuels, will need to be within that sectoral ceiling, and that electricity has the clearest and shortest path to decarbonise and will be a key advantage over other industries that use fossil fuels;

—that a range of actions is being taken by the CRU and EirGrid in relation to security of electricity supply over the coming winter and years ahead, which include maximising the availability of existing generators, developing new generation capacity, changing grid connection rules for data centres, and working with large energy consumers to,where possible, reduce their electricity demand during peak period, and the current unpredicted cause for concern is related to the lack of availability of a number of power plants; and

—that the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is carrying out a review of the security of energy supply of Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems for the period out to 2030 in the context of net-zero emissions by 2050;

further notes:

—that management of the impact of electricity demand on the grid is more appropriately dealt with through regulatory measures in the electricity sector;

—the important role of the ICT sector and data centres as part of the digital and communications infrastructure for many sectors of our economy, and data centres are core infrastructure for the digital economy and act as a hook for further investment and job creation, and more than 20,000 direct jobs in the Irish economy are supported by those operating large data centre infrastructure here, with the technology sector in Ireland employing over 150,000 people;

—that the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future commits to developing efficiency standards for equipment and processes, particularly those set to grow rapidly, such as data centres;

—that energy price rises in the marketplace are predominantly related to current international gas price increases and are unrelated to data centre development; and

—that in 2020, data centres accounted for approximately 11 per cent of the total electricity used in Ireland, demonstrating that the impact of data centres on Ireland’s energy demand, and the related electricity emissions, is significant, and EirGrid project that demand from large energy users, including data centres, could account for 27 per cent of all demand by 2030; and

affirms that:

—the Government will set out, in the forthcoming Climate Action Plan, a suite of actions that will address rising energy demand, while facilitating sustainable growth in the digital and ICT sectors;

—the electricity demand growth from large energy users, including data centres,requires careful management of the grid in the context of Ireland’s significant decarbonisation and climate ambitions;

—the Government’s Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Ireland’s Enterprise Strategy policy will ensure a role for data centres in enterprise policy and alignment with electricity emission reductions; and

—the CRU intends to publish, as a matter of urgency, its final direction to EirGrid and ESB Networks in relation to data centre connection policy that will prioritise data centre connections based on location, the availability of on-site generation and flexibility in reducing demand when required."

I wish to share time with Deputy Fergus O'Dowd.

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