Minister was told data centres are 'indispensable' ahead of Dáil debate on country's energy use

Meta's data centre in Clonee, Co. Meath. Data centre electricity usage jumped by more than 30% in 2022 compared to the previous year, the CSO said. File picture: Niall Carson/PA

Data centres play an “indispensable role in our economy and society” and the growth in their energy consumption in recent years is largely due to “existing centres increasing their consumption”, a note for a minister said this week.

A briefing note prepared for Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan, ahead of questions he would face in the Dáil, said the Government has adopted a “rational approach” to data centres despite criticism that this is at odds with our environmental goals.