From renewable energy use to carbon emissions, do the numbers on data centres add up?
Data centres have become a major battleground in the climate debate because of their huge energy consumption.
Attracted by Ireland’s mild climate, developers pit the priorities of local authorities against each other to secure suitable sites outside Dublin.
While councils must adhere to their Climate Action Plans, they must also facilitate new jobs and technology, which these data centres – essential for cutting-edge cloud computing and artificial intelligence – promise.
Last July, Red Admiral DC Ltd, which is owned by Offaly businessman Nigel Reams, lodged an application for a €1bn development comprising a 600-acre data centre and solar farm at Rochfortbridge, Co Westmeath.
Westmeath County Council stalled the plans in September, citing concerns and objections from local individuals and community groups regarding the development’s impact on biodiversity, traffic and water supplies.
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The council asked for additional information, including a full breakdown of carbon emissions at every stage of the development.
In its application, Red Admiral stated that the solar farm and fuel-cell technology are intended to reduce the reliance of the data centre on traditional fossil fuels.
Data centres are incompatible with Ireland’s climate commitments
According to the submitted plan, the solar farm will supply power during the day, while a battery energy storage system and fuel-cell systems would work to balance loads and provide backup support to ensure uninterrupted operation.
The company also said it would create 760 direct jobs and 1,000 indirect positions during the five-year construction.
Some researchers have said data centres do not belong in Ireland.
University College Cork professor of sustainable energy Hannah Daly found in 2024 that data centres are “incompatible with Ireland’s climate commitments due to the fact that they drive additional greenhouse gas emissions from both electricity and natural gas consumption, which threatens carbon budgets”.
Prof Daly’s research was commissioned by climate action group Friends of the Earth Ireland (FEI). In response to the findings, FEI data centre campaign lead Rosi Leonard said: “Ireland has allowed itself to become a data dumping ground for corporations like Amazon and Meta.
“This is creating stark inequalities in our energy system, whereby data centres are hoovering up the limited clean energy that is currently deployed.
“In the same regions of Ireland in which Meta bought the entire electricity output of solar farms for their data centres, over 60pc of homes are reliant on oil and solid fuels such as peat or coal.
“We need a moratorium on data centres in Ireland now before this problem gets any worse.”
Prof Daly found that electricity demand from data centres has grown at an annual rate of almost 23pc since 2015, compared to less than half a percent for other sectors.
Her research also shows that, between 2017 and 2023, all new wind energy generation was absorbed by data centres, meaning renewables are not delivering net reductions when set against fossil fuels used in power generation.
Dozens of data centres are either seeking or have been granted connections to the natural gas network. Campaigners say this puts the stability of that network at risk during peak times.
Data centre proponents, however, point out that the facilities must have their own back-up power generation systems in place, meaning the stability of the wider energy grid is maintained for homes and other businesses.