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CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL has granted planning permission for a €450 million data centre campus in Ennis despite opposition from local groups.
The Art Data Centre Campus was granted approval after spending four years moving through various stages of the planning process.
It is the first data centre to be approved since the Government unveiled a new data centre policy in recent weeks, which outlined a preference for developments associated with economic activity and employment that make efficient use of the electricity grid.
Art Data Centres, the company behind the project, says it will create between 400-450 permanent jobs when the data centre campus is fully operational.
The firm’s CEO, Tom McNamara, said the project is in line with the Government’s new approach to data centres.
“This Ennis project fulfils the Government’s key requirements immediately while state bodies, regulators and the electricity sector work to upgrade infrastructure, connect more renewable energy and ensure security of supply,” McNamara said.
“The infrastructure that is available in the Ennis site will assist the Government in national ambitions to deliver ongoing opportunities for the country in the tech industry.”
Data centres are responsible for 14% of all electricity usage in Ireland as of 2021. This is a 32% increase compared to 2020 and a 265% increase compared to 2015.
Construction of the Ennis campus will be phased over a seven year period starting later this year. When complete it will contain six data halls of 33 megawatts each. It has access to 200 megawatts of power from both the network grid and on-site gas generation.
Local groups have voiced strident opposition to the centre, raising concerns about water consumption and the on-site gas plant, which they say will harm air quality in the area.
Futureproof Clare said it is “deeply dismayed” by Clare County Council’s decision to grant the data centre planning permission.
“The growth of data centres in Ireland is bringing our energy grid to crisis point while also sucking our aquifers dry to cool them down,” Ruairí Ó Fathaigh of Futureproof Clare said.
“The plans to build one of the largest data centres in the country here in Ennis brings with it an additional threat to the health of people here as the plans include a gas burning plant that will only make the air quality here worse than it already is, leading to asthma and other respiratory problems,” Ó Fathaigh added.
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It says alot about the Greens that they turn a blind eye to datacenters. I bet if it was farmers using all that electricity there would be a problem!
@Irish View: Moneypoint Generation Station future secured today.
@Patrick J. Keating: moneypoint is being converted to handle power to come from offshore wind farms. At one stage the was a plan to have a wave power system near doonbeg, but that seems to have fallen by the wayside.
Data centres amount to a massive proportion the grid usage. Are they pulling their weight in carbon reduction? Or has the government conveniently assigned all their usage against green energy for handy co2 accounting?
@Joshua Walsh: you do realize that your post pointing out data center power usage was processed in a data center…….
@Mark Hearne: yeah he knows but he’s probably offsetting it by having a few dozen windmills at home.
@John: or else he’s on a bandwagon and really doesn’t understand – when he uses Facebook he uses a data centre, when he sends a WhatsApp mesg. he uses a data centre, when he does online banking he uses a data centre, Instagram, the play/app store, Dropbox, Netflix, when he posts on The Journal, PAY HIS TAXES!!!!!! etc etc etc (you could keep going forever) Most are bandwagoners who are happy to use these “modern technologies” daily to push their agenda but because they have efffff all else to do with their day and love to portray themselves as some sort of eco warrior they object to data centres and I’ll add are they are also the same type of nimb yarders… Jesus wept!!
@Thomas Meaney: not objecting to it, my qualm is with whos pays for it long term? The irish people are getting taxed to the hilt in the name of carbon but these guys probably getting a free pass. That is not right nor fair.
@John: my windmills are purely for grinding grain into flour unfortunately.
@Mark Hearne: Did I say I object to it? I’m merely asking that they pull their carbon weight and it’s not all foisted on the Irish tax payer with carbon taxes
@Thomas Meaney: it’s definitely worth trying to reduce your digital footprint by denying companies like Facebook and Google the right to your location and other data.
I requested to have all my Amazon data removed as I am entitled under GDPR rules and they told me they’d get back to me within a month…that’s something that would make my cry if I was Jeebus.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think a few kb of text put that much strain on data centres, I’d imagine every article on the Journal could fit fairly easily on a local server.
All data center’s should only be allowed. If they off set they among of electricity they use by installing wind turbine or building a solar farm. They amount you use is the same as you create. This should be part of the planning process
@Jimmy Donovan: 100%. Documented energy neutrality should be mandatory or subject to a closure order if not.
@Jimmy Donovan:
two min research :https://www.siliconrepublic.com/enterprise/ennis-data-centre-jobs-clare
Are hoping to fully green by 2030… Seems reasonable amount of time to set up infrastructure
Who was greased to get this over the line
@:
The objector from Letterkeny
NIMBY’s galore, with no idea why they’re opposing the development. The water used by data centres for cooling goes back into the system cleaner than it was when they took it out!
@OnlyHereForTheComments: wow bonus points for your irrelevant comment.
@Chris OB: Explain why it is irrelevant?
@Chris OB: Yous on the uninformed, irrelevant comment!!
The need for data provision is a global requirement. Climate change is a global catastrophe. Running data centres in Ireland is far less energy demanding that the majority of other countries for temperate climate reasons. Is there a way Ireland can carbon tax other states for the benefit of this reduction on a world level?
@Radioska: no
@Radioska: Same could be said for beef production
@Radioska: your point would be valid however Ireland produces most of its energy from fossil fuels. Other countries can use the higher than 33Mega Watts from Nuclear which has little carbon footprint (as long as its not a new station)
@kevin mc cormack: maybe!!
@Alan Lester: Wrong again. 56% last year from wind……sorry to dissappoint!!
@Chris Gaffney: Don’t think you’re figure is correct. In 2020 wind energy accounted for 36% (86% of renewable) of energy produced in ireland. Doubt it jumped by 20% in 12mths.
Make them generate their own energy.
@Pat Mullen: All data centres pay for their electricity usage (and unlike households their water usage too). They also all have their own backup generation so can disconnect from the national grid if there is a country wide shortage of generation capacity
@Stephen Kearon: Every tax payer in the country is making a financial contribution towards water management in this country. You already know that so please cut out your nonsense.
@David Corrigan: Balbardash dear boy!! Every other country in Europe pays SEPARATELY for their water apart from dear old Ireland!!
@Chris Gaffney: Ah yeah. They do indeed but the only pay for it once. In this kip you’re expected to pay for it multiple times.
@David Corrigan: Everything should be free. Vote sf!!
@David Corrigan: Poor attempt from Chris to defend everything Stephen says on this tread, no meaningful discourse, everyone else is wrong because they said so. The little caveat “ don’t vote SF “ Jesus wept the political nonsense is always a fall back for those lacking fortitude in real discourse and any real evidence for their point of view. Lazy stuff really.
@Chris Gaffney: You should give the phone back to your mom. It’s part your bedtime.
@Stephen Kearon: They pay what is owed after its subsided with taxpayers cash, they couldn’t be expected to pay as much as the dirty little taxpayers..
Saying no to data centres, means saying no to foreign direct investment from technology companies who provide 100s of thousands of well paid jobs in Ireland.
Data centres are an essential component of 21st century economies, plus it’s far more energy efficient to have companies use data centres than their own on premises servers.
@Stephen Kearon: Great to see a sensible comment!
@Stephen Kearon: Quick question, how many people are employed long term by data centres? What evidence have you that the water used by data centres ( I mean all of them ) actually goes back cleaner in to the environment than when it enters it? Steamate, Optisperse and Biomate just to name a few are used at all these sites. Give it a little Google. It’s amazing how many people use a neoliberal line in the sand like FDI and employment numbers as an excuse to push more burdens on normal people, the normal people have to adjust their lifestyles while these “businesses” carry on regardless. I’m pretty sure nothing will come out in the wash literally and figuratively when the incumbents one or all are out on there political arses.
@Stephen Kearon: very good post! I was about to mention all the permanent jobs it creates once operates, plus all the jobs building the place in the first place! People are complaining that all the jobs are in the Dublin area, and yet, when something worthwhile creating several hundred jobs is built on the west coast is built there, one hears nothing but complaints. It’s simply impossible to make people happy
“Get industry and jobs out of Dublin”
*builds data centre in Ennis*
“I didn’t mean here”
Stay classy Ireland.
Maybe if Ryan Giggs’ social media account and whatsapp account were terminated we might see a dramatic drop in energy usage.
Pity it’s not a factory that was setting up here in Ireland that manufactured something creating 459 full time jobs or more for unskilled and skilled workers plus apprenticeships, but no this is Ireland after all and that type of employment is beneath us.
@Leonard Barry: 6 of your own 7 boxes ticked there…..a solid A- someone expedite this project
@Leonard Barry: Absolute twaddle!!
@Leonard Barry:
Do you know the type of workers in a data center of this size?
They are far more secure jobs as well..
There will be 400+ jobs in this data center…
Good to see the local troglodytes didn’t lose us this opportunity. What exactly do people think gives this country a meaningful advantage? Very worried this is exactly the kind of goldmine the Shinners will chase away.
@lelookcoco: SF live rent free in your head. It’s sad really.
They’ll have and electric kettle van in Clare next year… mark my words!
@Big bad bull: ban
Ireland for sale
Whenever the Journal reports on a development being granted planning permission the headline says “despite local opposition”, as if it’s a referendum and the result is being ignored. It’s not a vote. Planning decisions are based on policy, in the development plan and national policy. Submissions from residents and others forms only a small part of the input to the decision and any objection cannot be taken to override policy. Simple as that.
In fact, the proper place for input to planning decisions is when the development plan is being written as that is when policy is determined.
@Rob Goodbody: Dead right Rob.
@Rob Goodbody: It’ll go to An Bord Pleannalla anyway, to be held up for another 24months…
And then probably an enquiry. And then maybe a tribunal for something as well. As long as they can delay it as long as possible and waste as much taxpayers money in the process, then the Govt will be happy.
Turn them off and watch people complain to turn them back on.
Good for Ennis, lot of jobs there and some.
Very sad to see all the negativity. Usually from those who either are too comfortable and minding their own kingdoms or are too lazy to work and begrudge anyone else!!
What ever happened to the proposed one in The Fields of Athenry
@pat seery: It was killed off by the same lovely people who are nimbying here!!
Paying for the privilege. Let them at it. Energy crisis is transient. The government will get their coffers filled regardless and our lights won’t be turned off. This energy mess is will be over in a blink of an eye, and as new tech comes to the fore. Todays newspaper is tomorrow’s chip paper and so it goes.
I feel it’s 1997 again and Ennis wants to be known as an Information Age Town again.
A quarter of Europe’s data centres are in Ireland, another disaster decision by FG roll on the winter blackouts, amazing no one thought how will we power them, too busy on their knees licking the shoes of the global corp bosses i suspect.
I honestly think data center developers should be paying for PV solar panels & battery backups for an equivalent number of households to the power usage of their development and ongoing usage.
Blind eyes
TRON 3
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