Dáil debates

Tuesday, 7 March 2023

Environmental Protection Agency (Emergency Electricity Generation) (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage

 

7:25 pm

Photo of Thomas PringleThomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this legislation. First, I condemn the last-minute publication of this Bill. I have been forced to raise this issue quite often recently, but I will continue to do so as long as the Government continues to facilitate such last-minute publications, which completely undermine the democratic process. The issues addressed in this Bill are not new. There have been concerns over energy demands outpacing supply for years. There is no excuse for this rushed legislation.

As I understand it, the legislation provides for the procurement of 450 MW of temporary emergency generation capacity to mitigate the security of supply risk for this winter. I call on the Minister to be honest with the public about why this legislation is needed and why we are facing the supply risk. The truth is the legislation is not being introduced to protect ordinary citizens. The Government's real intention is to protect data centres, which consume more electricity than all of our rural homes put together. Figures show that all of Ireland's rural homes use 12% of the country's electricity, while data centres use an incredible 14%. Sadly, this disparity will only continue to grow, as data centres are forecast to take up to 30% of Ireland's electricity demand by 2030. This would mean data centres consume about the same amount of electricity as all households in Ireland, and yet the Government tries to blame the concerns of energy supply solely on the war in Ukraine. This is disingenuous and insulting to our citizens, who deserve to know the truth behind the causes of blackout concerns and why this Government is so keen to avoid them.

There are approximately 70 data centres in Ireland, a number which is set to grow. Ireland is a prime location for data storage facilities for tech companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon because of our low corporation tax and the fact the European headquarters of these companies are already established here. TikTok is in the process of opening the first of its European data centres in Dublin while also finalising plans for a second data centre in Ireland. It has now been announced that TikTok is in discussions for a third European data centre, and the fact the Government is allowing and facilitating this to happen through legislation such as this is completely unacceptable.

Data centres are a considerable drain on our resources, not just electricity. They are a drain on our gas, water and land, never mind the fact they are completely at odds with our climate goals. Our electricity grid can no longer keep up with this and the level of electricity percentage consumed has forced us to face the possibility of energy shortages and blackouts. The Minister should not say the war in Ukraine has caused this. We are the only country in the world that has allowed this immense level of electricity consumption from data centres.

Dr. Paul Deane points out that electricity consumption from data centres is approximately 1% globally, and yet Ireland has allowed data centres to take up to 14% of our electricity. According to Dr. Deane, Singapore is one of the next biggest countries with regard to the drawdown on the grid, with data centres using approximately 7% of the country's electricity, that is, half the usage of here. Singapore brought in a moratorium on data centres two years ago while we have allowed them to continue to use up as much electricity as Kilkenny city. Even the national power operator has warned that he country is struggling to cope. We have recently added the equivalent of more than 200,000 homes' worth of electricity to a power system that is already struggling, and yet we continue to welcome more data centres. By the end of this year, we will have welcomed at least two or three more centres for TikTok alone. Where will it end?

As well as the impact they have on our infrastructure, there is no doubt data centres have severely impacted the energy policies and legislation of this country. The fact we need emergency legislation today to deal with a power system that is on its knees and at risk of failing in the winter shows this. The legislation is anti-green to its core, but it is being introduced by a Green Party Minister of State. How can the Green Party stand by the facilitation of more data storage facilities for tech companies when the opening of more centres will make it impossible for us to meet our climate goals? How can the Minister justify the fact he has not imposed any environmental conditions on these centres that are putting considerable pressure on our country's energy infrastructure?

The same Minister fears free public transport in case, God forbid, people may actually start to use it. This is despite calls in the Green Party's 2020 manifesto for a strategy that would allow Ireland to increase and improve the capacity of public transport and active travel while working towards free transport for most users. How the Minister can view free public transport as a bigger concern than data centres is beyond me.

It also explains why he did not bother to show up when I tabled my motion on free and accessible public transport in October. The U-turns the Green Party has made in respect of so many of its policies since going into government are incredibly disappointing. As James Connolly once said: "Governments in capitalist society are but committees of the rich to manage the affairs of the capitalist class." EirGrid has informed the CRU that the root of the problem is the market mechanism used to deliver Ireland's security of supply. Although EirGrid used to plan and develop the grid around the protected growth of towns and cities, it is now guided by the demands of large tech companies and their data storage requirements. The power and influence of these companies on the Green Party and on Government legislation is a matter of concern. It is also a reflection of the capitalist society in which we live. We can see where the priority lies in respect of it.

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