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AMAZON HAS SECURED planning permission for two new data centres in north Dublin.
The permission comes despite objections from environmental groups which expressed concern that it would place further pressure on limited energy supplies and have an adverse environmental impact
Dublin City Council has approved an application made by Amazon through Colliers Properties for permission to construct two new data centres on a 3.75-hectare site in Clonshaugh Business and Technology Park.
A division of the US multinational, Amazon Web Services, already has a data centre at the same location.
The new data centres will be housed in two new two-storey buildings which will have a gross floor area respectively of 12,875m² and 1,445m² on a site of the former Ricoh building which is earmarked for demolition.
The larger building will have two additional mezzanine levels.
A dozen emergency generators will also be located in adjoining compounds.
Amazon has estimated that between 15 and 58 staff will work at the data centres over a 24-hour period, while up to 400 staff will be employed during the construction phase of the project.
The development by Amazon comes at a time when the energy consumption levels of data centres have come under renewed focus due to concerns over capacity issues among energy providers.
Official figures showed data centres accounted for 14% of all electricity demand in the Republic last year with Eirgrid estimating they could account for 29% by 2028.
Members of South Dublin County Council are currently locked in a row with the planning regulator after they imposed an effective ban on all future developments of new data centres in its administrative area
Earlier this year Eirgrid said it would not be providing any new grid connections for data centres in the Dublin region until 2028 due to capacity constraints.
However, the Commission of Regulation of Utilities ruled out a moratorium on new data centres but said the location of future facilities and their ability to generate their own power supplies would need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
In its application, consultants for Amazon said the company was committed to building a sustainable business “for our customers and the planet.”
They pointed out that part of Amazon’s commitment to be net zero carbon across its business by 2040 was to be powered by 100% renewable energy by 2025.
Amazon told council planners that its new 115-megawatt wind farm project in Galway which became operational this year would support the company’s data centres in the Republic and add to its existing wind farm projects in Cork and Donegal.
Amazon said the three wind farm projects combined were projected to deliver 229MW of renewable energy capacity each year and reducing emissions by 366,000 tonnes of CO₂ per annum – the equivalent of powering 185,000 homes for a year
The company said it was committed to offtake 100% of the power from its renewable energy projects without relying on additional public funding through the Public Service Obligation levy.
It pointed out it was the first company in Ireland to sign up for unsubsidised Corporate Power Purchase Agreements.
Through the use of an innovative cooling solution, Amazon said the two new data centres would use as little as 264m³ of water for cooling annually.
Amazon said its operations in Ireland sustain 8,700 jobs including 3,100 direct staff and another 3,900 working for contractors.
The company claims it increased economic output in Ireland by almost €7.5bn over the past decade and directly invested €4.4bn over the same period.
Speaking this week, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said that data centres are “hugely important to really large employers in Ireland”.
On data centres, Amazon said it had increased its spend with Irish contractors 14-fold since 2015 to €228m.
Amazon said its investment in data centres in Dublin city supported over 2,300 jobs in 2020 and benefited from €80m in capital expenditure.
Environmental group, Not Here Not Now, which opposed the development of the new data centres, said the proposed use of diesel emergency generators would result in fossil fuels being used to power them on occasion.
The group, which is campaigning for an end to fossil fuel exploration, said it was crucial that data centres are powered directly by onsite renewable energy generation such as rooftop solar farms or new offsite generation such as offshore wind farms.
“If the plant cannot be powered fully by renewable energy, it will lead to an increase in Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2030, contravening the Climate Act, Climate Action Plan and National Planning Framework,” said the group’s spokesperson, Angela Deegan.
Not Here Not Now also claimed it was crucial that Dublin City Council considered the cumulative impact of the energy demand of all Amazon’s data centres in Ireland on a nationwide basis.
Another environmental group, Gluaiseacht, claimed the lack of information about the power rating of the proposed new data centres made it “unclear how big of a energy guzzling monster is being added to the national grid.”
In its ruling Dublin City Council said the proposed data centres were compatible with the zoning of the site and noted there were several other data centres within the business park including an existing permission for one on the same site
While the new data centres would have some net impact on the area, council planners ruled they would not have any significant adverse effects either on their own or in combination with existing data centres.
One of the conditions of the grant of planning permission requires Amazon to pay a development contribution of almost €1.3 million to the council.
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Definitely time the banks update their systems. This is getting way too common. The fees have gone up, start using them to provide a service!
Most of the banks systems are ok. It’s just ulster bank who’s systems are outdated but will cost millions to update
Karl
Did you not hear of the Bank of Ireland problems?
THIS! Most banks still use mainframes for a lot of their nightly transactions. They need to rebuild!
Its Ulcer bank at this stage for its customers…
Perhaps if they try to FIX the problem rather than FOX it
as in your headline,the customers will be happier!
Thanks for pointing that out :) I’ve FIXED it now.
You FOX Michelle and your fixing !
Continually having computer problems, yet continually increasing fees. Left them a year ago, terrible bank to deal with.
Couldn’t have had a different experience with them myseflf. There was an issue about a year ago that was an inconvenience but I’ve never had another issue with them and always found their staff so helpful with everything. Mobile banking is down at the moment but you can still log on through normal means as well as using the full website through your mobile device. Very minor inconvenience unless you want to be offended by it.
Never took offence to them, just got fed up paying through the nose for a service they couldn’t supply. You obviously weren’t affected when their computer systems went belly up for weeks, direct debits were being taken out twice, wages not going in etc. a joke of a bank.
Yes I lost track of how much was in my account for a few days but it got sorted and they reimbursed me for two transactions that hadn’t happened! I pay no fees at all for my banking thankfully and they have branches open on a Saturday! Like I said some people go out of their way to be upset!
Ulster bank is one of the better banks surprisingly enough. They were the last to raise their fees and they’ve a good rep for business banking.
Had to leave AIB after 12 years with them – so rude and their fees were rocketing.
Believe me Ted I haven’t got time to go out of my way and get upset with a bank. Way to busy to be checking accounts all the time in case they’ve made more mistakes. That’s why they lost me and hundreds of other customers over the last year or two. I guess some people put up with bad service and some don’t. Like I said, a joke of a bank.
Thank god I’m not one of their 600 customers
Well I am a customer and I’m praying to Joe Pesci that they get it sorted soon
Call those 2 Canadian kids to sort it out.
I remember the good old days when banks used to at least pretend that they were looking after their customers,
when mobile banking was a lorry with a teller in the back.
I’m off to the credit union thanks.
No fee internet banking, direct debit, cash card facilities
run by volunteers who don’t cost us €100 billion every 20 years or so.
Feckin’ shower of bankers…!
HACKERS !
All those screenshots are from UK customers (Ulster bank in NI, RBS in UK).
Is there any proof of ROI customers affected?
NI is part of the UK. RBS in GB.
Meant to say that!
Thank god I left them after the last major F up. Their I.T section is absolutely useless
Working now – first thing I notice is the direct debits have been taken. Back to normal, or what passes for it in a nationalised bank.
Ulster Bank couldn’t find their arse with both hands and a map !
Ulster Bank still use pen and paper. I rang today told by them my loan was with collections because it was in arrears. I said it couldn’t be and it’s most likely in credit. On hold for 36 mins while some eejit worked it out manually. At the end and after telling me 3 iMessage that I was in arrears the first eejit tells me I’m in credit and my account has been removed from arrears. They are a joke of a bank and shouldn’t even be in business.
Can they please change their debit cards. Such bad quality.
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