Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This Bill will allow Ireland to procure up to 450 MW of temporary emergency generation capacity to mitigate the security of supply risk next winter. However, the Minister cannot say the threats of blackouts just happened or blame this situation on the war in Ukraine. This is an unmitigated failure by the Government to manage electricity demand and supply. EirGrid has been raising this issue since 2016. Its generation capacity statements have warned of an increasing tightness between demand and supply. EirGrid has issued 18 amber alerts since 2017. Of these, 17 have been issued since the Government took office in 2020. Still the Government adds significant strains onto our electricity supply year on year without a properly thought-out and joined-up plan to tackle how these will affect the grid overall.

As I left Drogheda today, I passed the large Amazon data centres. They, and others like them, are putting a large strain on our electricity grid. The first Amazon data centre in Drogheda is a 48 MW facility. The second is due to come online this year. By Amazon's own estimates, cumulative demand for three phases of data centre development at the IDA Drogheda business park will be a maximum of 144 MW. All of that power consumed for just a handful of local jobs in a business park that is supposed to accommodate thousands of employees. While these data centres have backup generators so that the centres are protected in case of a blackout, local homes and businesses do not.

In its appeal last year against the second data centre, An Taisce stated there were 70 data centres in operation using 900 MW and that a further eight that were under consideration were expected to use an additional 250 MW. Data centres now consume 11% of Ireland's grid-generated electricity. This figure is projected to grow to 31% by 2027. The Government needs to put the pros and cons of these power-sucking data centres on a scale and look at the harsh reality of large electricity consumption and CO2 emissions versus the handful of jobs they create.

Every day, people are facing unprecedented energy bills. Constituency clinics are full of people shocked to the core by the amount they are being asked to pay. Demand drives up prices, yet the Government, knowing the demands the grid is going to face, that there are red flags and that people are struggling to pay their bills, comes up with 450 MW of temporary energy generation capacity as its plan. Does that not say it all?

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