Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 March 2019
588. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation the progress to date in the identification of sites as being suitable for the location of large-scale data centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12729/19]
View answerIn 2017 IDA Ireland appointed Jacobs Engineering, supported by AOS Planning, to identify potential strategic land banks in Ireland that would be particularly suitable for the sustainable development of data centre projects. The study was commissioned to understand what locations in Ireland are best suited for this particular type of investment. The evaluation process, which has been completed by Jacobs, focused on evaluating all potentially viable land options that would be compatible with the complex and evolving needs of data centre investments. As indicated previously, this study was undertaken for internal IDA Ireland purposes and is not intended for publication due to its commercial sensitivity.
It is worth reiterating that, over recent years, leading international technology and computing firms have announced several significant data centre investments for Ireland. Our goal is to ensure that this trend continues. In that context, IDA Ireland, supported by the relevant key stakeholders, will continue to highlight credible and flexible property solutions that form part of the competitive value proposition for this sector.
