Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)

In the context of PR6 and the previous review, it is not a question that it is data centres first at all. PR6 takes into account Government targets and includes the connection of up to 50,000 new homes per year, up to 1 million electric vehicles and currently contracted data centre demand, which means currently contracted data centres - no new ones - and those with contracted connection agreements. There is no question of data centres or other large users gobbling up, as the Deputy says, energy instead of housing being built. That is not happening, and that will not happen under PR 6. When the CRU published the draft plan on large energy users, there was significant stakeholder engagement. The strategy into the future will be very much a plan-led approach to connection and a medium-term outlook. The focus must be and is on housing, but in parallel with that is grid investment. We will see grid investment over the course of the term of this Government like we have never seen before in order to allow us to distribute the additional energy we are creating through renewables right across our network in order that we can power more homes and more businesses throughout the country.

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