Energy expert calls for pause in building of data centres 

Paul Deane has called for a pause on the building of data centres until such time as “we get a handle on the (energy) situation”. 

Energy expert Paul Deane has called for a pause on the building of data centres until such time as “we get a handle on the (energy) situation”. 

The research fellow at UCC said that “something has to give until we can understand how we can get out of this crisis.” 

Dr Deane was commenting following the launch of a two-week consultation by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) asking industry and electricity providers how they intend to reduce energy usage.

The CRU said the significant risks to the country's electricity supply means it must "act quickly".

While it will hold a two-week public consultation, it will introduce changes to tariffs from October 1. The CRU says the network requires €478m to secure supply in 2023. The tariff changes are intended to cover €100m of that.

Electricity supply companies may be charged more for their customers to use electricity between the hours of 5pm to 7pm, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute.

Dr Deane told RTÉ radio that the CRU is trying to ensure that large-scale users like data centres “shoulder their responsibility.” They will see significant increases in their bills if they are not prepared to change their usage times.

Certain tasks performed by data centres are not critical, he said, so they could reduce usage at peak times, they could also switch certain tasks to different countries to avoid pressure on the system in Ireland.

The CRU was right to put the burden of responsibility on large users of energy, he added.

Ireland had “dropped the ball” with the failure to develop renewable energy sources, he added, which is was why the CRU had been left with no alternative but to bring in these proposals.

There was a need for stronger financial incentives and rewards to bring about the radical change in energy use that was required, said Dr Deane.

It comes as households are to be told they must pay an extra €26 on average on their annual electricity bills to ensure the lights are kept on this winter.

The CRU said households would have faced up to a €43 increase in their bills if the other tariff changes were not introduced.

Households are already paying an average of €900 more a year for their electricity and €800 more for their gas than they were at the start of 2021.

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