Government’s policy on data centres is ‘madness’, says TD Smith

The Government’s policy on data centres is “madness,” according to People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith.

Deputy Smith was speaking after an amber alert was issued for Ireland’s electricity use.

Latest figures show that 18 percent of the country’s electricity use is from data centres with a 30 percent increase over the past year.

The TD, who last year brought a bill to the Dáil to introduce a ban on any new data centre planning applications said the news was “inevitable” given the “glut” of approved data centres and existing capacity in already approved centres.

“The country is unique in Europe in having increased energy demands which is almost wholly down to the proliferation of data centres,” she said.

The TD also said recent restrictions on planning approvals were inadequate with centres now switching to applying for link ups with the national gas grid and “effectively evading the proposed new rules.”

She said that “low wind levels were not the core issue concerning the amber alert but that the policy of unrestricted data centre proliferation which is leading to disaster and had to be challenged.”

Deputy Smith says she will once again be raising the issue in the Dáil and called for a ban on any new data centres.