Taoiseach: No moratorium on data centres but they must source own backup energy

'[W]e can't say no to all data centres,' Micheál Martin said, speaking in Tokyo on his visit to Japan. 

There can be no moratorium on the building of data centres but tech firms will be required to prove they can produce their own energy if needed, the Taoiseach has said.

Michéal Martin also said consideration must be given to companies which have been in Ireland for some time and want to expand with data centres.

The centres have been a key focal point in the debate on climate change, with much focus on the amount of energy and water they consume. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) already limits data centre building based on whether an applicant is in a constrained or unconstrained region of the electricity grid.

In May, CSO figures showed that electricity consumption by data centres increased 32% in 2021 compared to 2020, and has risen 265% since the start of 2015 to the end of last year. This led to experts warning that cutting overall emissions and building data centres are not compatible goals.

Speaking in Tokyo, Mr Martinsaid tech giant Hitachi, which employs hundreds of people here, had raised the upcoming Government policy document on data centres, citing fears that any attempt to inhibit their construction would negatively affect investment in Ireland. 

“When companies invest in Ireland, have a big presence in Ireland, they’re saying: ‘You can’t say you want all of our investment, but you can’t do anything with data centres’.

"We can’t say no to all data centres, because that potentially would be saying no to a lot of investment on the technology front, both on the digital and the bigger companies. "

Mr Martin confirmed that the upcoming Government strategy on data centres, to be announced by the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar in the coming weeks, will require centres to provide their own backup energy sources.

Meanwhile, farmers have said the 5% increase in agricultural emissions in 2021, confirmed by the EPA, is a result of Government policy to expand the sector. 

They have also said farmers are being “demonised” unfairly in relation to climate change.