Ciarán Cuffe Green Party MEP for Dublin is calling on Clare County Council to “carefully assess” a planning application for a large-scale data centre complex near Ennis.

Mr. Cuffe says the proposal by Art Data Centres Ltd to Clare County Council for a massive data centre beside Ennis, Co. Clare does not comply with Clare County Council, the Irish government and EU emission goals. He said that if it is allowed to proceed, the data centres would also place an unfair burden on the water supply of the Ennis area.

Ciarán Cuffe MEP said: “Data centres are big energy users and have high emissions. We are in a climate emergency, and we should not grant planning permission for a development that will hinder Ireland’s ability to cut harmful greenhouse gases.”

“The proposed data centre development by Art Data Centres Ltd appears to be in breach of Ireland’s commitments under the EU’s Effort Sharing Decision. The Environmental Protection Agency announced last year that Ireland already overshot its 2018 greenhouse gas emissions ceiling of 60.93 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2eq) by 5.59Mt. The proposed development’s emissions will be 657,000 tonnes CO2eq per annum. This is too high. We need to lower harmful emissions. Not increase them.”

“The proposals also must be carefully assessed against the targets identified in Ireland’s climate action plans. The six data storage facilities will require up to 200 MW load provided by power from the national grid and an energy centre with gas generators and emergency backup provided by diesel generators. Given recent warnings from EirGrid about possible blackouts on the national power grid, approving further data centres with vast energy usage from the national grid is inappropriate. The use of fossil fuels in the form of gas is unacceptable. Gas is not a low carbon fuel and is at odds with the low emissions objective stated within the Clare County Development Plan.”

“Additionally, the sheer volume of water required for peak summer cooling is deeply concerning. The proposed development may require up to a million litres of water per day for cooling when temperatures exceed 27 degrees. This is likely to occur when the Ennis water supply is at its lowest and may cause unfair supply difficulties for locals.”

Mr Cuffe went on to say: “Only a few weeks ago, we had a dire climate warning from the UN’s IPCC. If we are serious about tackling the climate crisis, we need joined up thinking for every sector of society. That includes ensuring environmentally sustainable planning conditions are attached to approved planning applications - particularly for commercial buildings.”

Image ©Jordan Harrison.