Data Centres – Energy Suckers: Us or Them?

At present in Ireland there are 53 operating data centres – 8 more are under construction with 26 having received planning permission. 

Ireland is a prime location for these centres: we are in the E.U., we have a highly skilled young workforce and a climate suited to data centres (our cool temperate climate is ideal in reducing running costs as the heat-generating computers need to be kept cool).

Dublin is reaching its full capacity of data centres so there is opportunity for other cities now to attract these centres. Tiktok, with their €420 million data centre investment, Google, Facebook, Amazon; they have all set up shop in Ireland.

I myself am reliant on the internet for work and use these data centres – this I am fully aware of. Also, Ireland is in need of job creation and investment post-pandemic, so is this not a Win-Win? What’s the issue?

Well…. A report by Eirgrid has shown that the demands in electricity are due to data centres: in order to meet the vast electricity needs to power these centres Ireland’s Eirgrid cannot cope and is predicting possible shortages in the next 5 years.

By 2030 an estimated 70% of Ireland’s electricity could be used for data centres. Moneypoint, a coal-fired plant, which was being wound down in our efforts to meet our 2030/2050 environmental targets, is now the back-up plan and to remain open.  For the winter months people may have to suffer so that these large data centres needs are met.

Where is the social and environmental sustainability in this?  Our government have put all their cards on the table – it is only economic sustainability they care about. Whether they are Green, Blue or Turquoise up in the Dáil – profit before people seems to be the order of the day.

Another likelihood is that it will be the average customer who will have to foot the bill in Ireland’s transition to renewable and sustainable energy. Amazon are investing in a €200 million wind farm in Donegal but I can’t help but look at this and think – will this offset their electricity needs solely or will it be of benefit to more than just themselves?

Dr Patrick Bresnihan, of Maynooth University, shared his concerns about the expansion of data centres around the country with the Oireachtas Committee on the Environment and Climate Change (Journal.ie).

However, the Irish Government have opposed the ban of data centres of which, TD Bríd Smith said it, “fl[lies] in the face of any serious climate agenda for the government” (Journal.ie).  How can we as a society juggle both the economic needs of a country and the environmental and social damage our decisions create?

It is not a straightforward answer, but I am hopeful that the money generated from these global energy suckers will be pumped into Indigenous renewable energy for the Island of Ireland.  Otherwise, they are making suckers of us all.