Mairéad Farrell
Question:165. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of data centres by county; and the average monthly and yearly power usage in tabular form. [36680/20]
View answerTuesday, 17 November 2020
Questions (165)
Written answers
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment does not collect or store the type of detailed information requested but the Deputy may wish to follow this up with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.
There may be some scope for different definitions of what could be considered a data centre or multiple data 'halls' on particular sites might be counted. Nonetheless, it is clear that the vast majority of large 'hyperscale' or 'co-location'-type data centre developments are located in the greater Dublin area, with a small number operational or planned across Cork, Limerick, Meath and elsewhere.
While not all data centres are operated by multi-national firms, IDA Ireland has further advised me that it does not maintain a register of data centres or client energy use, as this information is privately held and often confidential for the businesses concerned. IDA Ireland point out that, when dealing with potential data centre investments, it promotes regional locations for those investments in line with the ‘Government Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Ireland’s Enterprise Strategy’. Recent examples of large data centre developments outside of Dublin include an Amazon project in Drogheda and Facebook’s project in Meath.
EirGrid, in its 'All-Island Generation Capacity Statement 2020-2029', reported that there is currently 450 MVA (Mega Volt Ampere) of currently built data centres and other large energy users: http://www.eirgridnortheastprojects.ie/site-files/library/EirGrid/All-Island-Generation-Capacity-Statement-2020-2029.pdf.
An analysis of the data centre sector in Ireland, and its potential energy demand, is produced quarterly by industry groups BitPower and 'Host in Ireland'. The Deputy may find this a useful resource: https://bitpower.ie/index.php/dashboard.