Objectors allowed to challenge plans for €1.2bn Clare data centre over climate action worries

According to consulting firm Bitpower, there were 82 data centres operating in the Republic as of one year ago, while the Central Statistics Office reported that these used as much electricity as all urban households during 2022

Friends of the Irish Environment, Futureproof Clare and the three locals say they have great concerns about the recent “explosive growth” of data centres in the State and their heavy consumption of electricity and water resources. File picture

Controversial plans for a €1.2 billion data centre campus in Co Clare are under threat as a new High Court action claims the project’s approval is not consistent with climate action objectives.

Three Co Clare-based environmentalists and two NGOs say An Bord Pleanála acted irrationally by granting permission while failing to require any mitigation measures for the greenhouse gases that will be emitted by the facility.