Government must fully publish data centre report, says Boylan

Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has called on the Government to publish a full report examining the impact of data centres, including any findings relating to household electricity bills.

The Dublin MEP said documents obtained under Freedom of Information legislation show that the terms of reference for a €100,000 Government-commissioned report were heavily weighted towards highlighting the benefits of data centres while giving insufficient attention to potential costs.

Boylan has written to Enterprise Minister Peter Burke demanding that the full report be released.

“This report was essentially a cost-benefit analysis without looking at the costs,” she said.

“Minister Burke’s own terms of reference made it clear that the government only wanted to hear one side of the story.

“Out of 27 pages, practically everything was focused on the supposed benefits of data centres.”

The issue of data centres has become increasingly controversial in recent years amid growing concerns about their impact on Ireland’s electricity grid, energy demand and climate targets.

Boylan argued that the original terms of reference for the report specifically required consultants to examine “the increases in electricity prices related to any grid infrastructure developments required to support further data centre development”.

She said those findings should now be made public.

“We need to see what the consultants had to say about data centres and costs,” she said.

The MEP also pointed to previous Freedom of Information material from the Department of Public Expenditure, which she said showed officials had acknowledged that data centres were contributing to higher costs within the electricity system.

“Even officials in Jack Chambers’ department conceded that data centres were driving up costs, as revealed in an FOI recently released to me,” Boylan said.

She claimed households were already bearing a disproportionate share of the financial burden associated with expanding electricity infrastructure.

“I have been sounding the alarm for years about data centres driving up costs,” she said.

“Whether it is the secret subsidy on household bills or the shocking disparity in network charges where households are paying 10 times as much as data centres for grid upgrades.”

The latest intervention comes as debate continues over the role of large-scale data centres in Ireland’s economy.

Supporters argue that the sector attracts foreign investment, supports employment and strengthens Ireland’s position as a European technology hub.

Critics, however, have questioned whether the economic benefits outweigh the pressure placed on energy infrastructure and the wider costs faced by consumers.

Boylan also referenced a recent report by Friends of the Earth, which she said found that data centres were contributing to rising household electricity bills.

“Just last week, a report from Friends of the Earth confirmed data centres were adding to household bills,” she said.

“The public needs to see the full picture. Minister Burke must publish the full report immediately.”