Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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89. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he is aware that a €1.2 billion data centre has been granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála in Clare; if his Department is comfortable with Ireland’s 83 data centres using as much electricity as all urban households combined according to the CSO 2022 figures; his views on whether data centre expansion is compliant with our environmental policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27582/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Data centres are central to Ireland’s economic and digital future and the Government is supportive of sustainable data centre developments as set out in the July 2022 Government Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Ireland’s Enterprise Strategy. The Strategy also states that data centres 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. To connect to the gas network, developers must comply with this Statement.

As Ireland’s independent planning regulator, An Bord Pleanála is independent in its decision-making functions. In addition to planning approval, developers must separately apply for a connection to the electricity grid. Following the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) November 2021 Direction, System Operators must consider applications from data centres (to connect to the electricity network) against strict assessment criteria, including:

• Whether it is within a constrained region of the electricity system;
• The ability of the applicant to bring on-site dispatchable generation (and/or storage) equivalent to or greater than their demand to support security of supply, and;
• The ability of the applicant to provide flexibility in their demand, by reducing consumption when requested by the System Operator (when the overall system is constrained).
• Additionally, the CRU is currently reviewing its Large Energy Users connection policy. The aim of this review is to provide a new pathway for Large Energy Users to connect to the electricity and gas systems, minimising the impact on national carbon emissions and security of supply.