Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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101. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he can provide any estimates of the added C02 emissions from current and planned data centres with similar or planned gas-fired generators, in relation to the impact on the State's emissions targets from data centres using gas-fired generators as back-up generators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62726/22]

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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112. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department has had any meetings or discussions with the EPA in relation to the impact on the State's emissions targets from data centres using gas fired generators as back-up generators; the estimated additional C02 emissions from current and planned data centres with similar or planned gas fired generator; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62680/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 and 112 together.

Notwithstanding the range of benefits data centres bring to the Irish economy, as large energy users they present considerable challenges to the future planning and operation of the country’s power system. The Government’s decision on Sectoral Emissions Ceilings means we must reduce electricity emissions to approximately 3 MtCO2eq per annum by 2030 for the electricity sector, the steepest decline (75% against 2018 levels) of all sectors of the economy. The targets are particularly challenging because of increasing electricity demand arising from data centres, but also the electrification of heat and transport. Our principal tool to ensure our emissions are on track is to use renewable electricity to power our grid. We are already producing over 40% of our electricity from renewable sources and we need to increase this to 80% by 2030 to meet our sectoral emission ceilings. Data centre emissions are covered within electricity generation in the ETS and no breakdown of the emissions from backup generators is currently itemised.

In order to ensure the security of our electricity supplies, the CRU have determined in their November 2021 Direction that new data centres connections offers must be based on them having adequate onsite dispatchable generation and / or storage as back-up. In the event that gas-fired back-generation is called upon, their emissions will be included in the EPA national inventory for greenhouse gas emissions.

In July of this year Government published a ‘new Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Ireland's Enterprise Strategy’. The Statement addresses sustainable data centre development to align with Ireland’s renewable energy targets, security of supply, sectoral emissions and climate priorities.

As such Government policy seeks to enable the ’twin transitions’ of digitalisation and decarbonisation of our economy and society. These transitions can - and must be - complementary. For this to happen, digital and climate change policies need to move in tandem with decarbonised data centres by design in order to meet our statutory binding sectoral emissions ceilings. The policy is clear that ‘Islanded’ data centre developments, that are not connected to the electricity grid and are powered mainly by on-site fossil fuel generation, would not be in line with national policy.