Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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90. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. to 96 of 9 December 2021, the status of the work to revise the Government Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Ireland’s Enterprise Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6825/22]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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My Department is aiming to complete the review of the 'Government Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Ireland's Enterprise Strategy' in the first half of 2022. My Department will continue to work closely with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and engage with stakeholders such as Eirgrid, the CRU, IDA Ireland and the data centre sector as we develop this revised Statement, ensuring alignment between enterprise policy and the programme for government renewable energy and climate targets.

The role of data centres in our economy should be assessed in the context of the total economic value they provide, and not as an isolated economic activity. The important economic and societal role of data services such as video calls, streaming services, and other remote work technology became ever more apparent during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data centres securely store and manage the data which keeps much of our information-based economy and society moving. These investments underpin the digital economy in which data is the key asset.

We will need to ensure that new electricity demands and the growth of existing demand, are sustainable and use our infrastructure efficiently. The transformation of our electricity and wider energy system, will require innovative and world leading technological and operational solutions on both the supply and demand sides of our energy markets.