New multi-million-euro Industrial Park in Mayo aims to attract technology companies and data centres
Mayo is set to become the location of a new multi-million-euro Industrial Business, Science and Technology Park, with a major development planned on a strategic site along the outskirts of Castlebar near the N5.
The site is at an advanced stage of acquisition, and plans for a state-of-the-art Industrial Development Agency (IDA) Advanced Building Solution are expected to be submitted in the first quarter of this year.
Once completed, the development will provide modern enterprise space for companies seeking to establish or expand operations in Mayo and across the west of Ireland.
The project has been progressing for the past three years with Minister of State for Small Business, Retail and the Circular Economy, and Castlebar native, Alan Dillon, working alongside IDA Ireland and Mayo County Council.
Minister Dillon said he plans to work closely with the IDA and Enterprise Ireland to attract technology-led companies, particularly in the ICT sector, to Mayo, which he described as an ideal location for data centres and other technology-driven enterprises.
He added that the upcoming Private Wires Bill will create a “significant opportunity for Mayo to be viewed by system operators and investors as a viable location for green enterprise parks.”
Following the approval of the Private Wires Policy Statement in July 2025, the bill will allow private companies to build and operate their own electricity connections in limited circumstances.
These include direct links between a single electricity user and a single generation asset, hybrid connections combining private generation with the public grid, on-street electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and the supply of electricity between neighbouring, adjoining premises.
Following a vote in the Dáil in December, 2025, the bill is currently being drafted and implemented.
“My ambition is clear, to bring higher-paying jobs to the west and activate the local economy,” Minister Dillon said.
He highlighted Mayo’s location outside grid-constrained zones and its substantial renewable energy resources as key advantages. He described the county as an “ideal location for data centres and technology-driven enterprises.”
Interest in the region has already been evident. A proposed data centre in Killala received planning permission from Mayo County Council in April 2025, highlighting the growing demand for development sites along the west coast.
However, the decision was appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála following objections from several third parties, including international bestselling author Sally Rooney, who submitted her objection as “a resident of County Mayo and a concerned citizen.”
Ms Rooney described climate change as an “immediate and unprecedented threat to our way of life here in Mayo and to the future of human life around the world,” in her submission.
While the appeal is still ongoing, Minister Dillon said the upcoming Private Wires legislation, together with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities’ new electricity connection policy for data centres, will strengthen Mayo’s “competitive edge and attract sustainable, future-focused industries to the region.”
He pointed to the Meissner Filtration facility on Breaffy Road in Castlebar as an example of what such investment can look like.
The facility, which produces single-use systems for biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical clients, was developed in partnership with the IDA.
Minister Dillon explained that the new Castlebar site will be similar in scale and design, and will form part of IDA Ireland’s 2025–2029 strategy, ‘Adapt Intelligently’.
The programme is a national initiative encompassing 23 projects across 21 locations in eight regions, designed to support enterprise growth throughout Ireland.
The new facility will be designed and planned in parallel with the finalisation of the site acquisition, with Minister Dillon emphasising that advanced planning is essential to provide certainty for companies and attract future investment.
While the region's economic potential is clear, some local representatives have raised concerns about ensuring that large-scale developments deliver tangible community benefits.
Independent councillor Harry Barrett has warned that communities must not be bypassed in the process.
He addressed Mayo County Council in September 2025 regarding the Private Wires Bill, and urged them to prepare a plan for when the new legislation comes into effect.
“When the private wires policy comes to pass, we have to generate serious community benefit from these private corporations. We have to reengineer the community benefit scheme situation in this county,” Cllr Barrett said.
He also highlighted that data centres are likely to cluster where land is cheap and close to infrastructure such as the transatlantic data cables in Killala and Clew Bay, noting that this combination could make Mayo an attractive location for international technology companies.
To address these concerns, Cllr Barrett tabled a motion calling on the council to take action in three areas: conducting a full review of Mayo’s existing community benefit scheme, engaging directly with energy developers and the CRU to increase contributions from operators in the county, and preparing a strategic plan to respond to the new Private Wires Bill.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.