Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 March 2021
78. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the impact that data centres will have on electricity demand in Ireland over the next decade; the policy interventions planned as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44949/20]
View answerGovernment policy in relation to data centres is primarily a matter for the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The Government Statement on the role of data centres in Ireland's Enterprise Strategy, 2018 recognises that a plan-led approach is needed to develop a range of measures to promote regional options for data centre investment, minimising the need for additional electricity grid infrastructure.
Data centre related electricity demand in Ireland continues to grow. EirGrid, in their Generation Capacity Statement 2020-2029, project that demand from data centres could account for 27% of all demand by 2029, up from 2% in 2018. Significant increases in volumes of generation capacity, including from renewable energy sources, will be required to meet Ireland’s electrification objectives including demand from heat pumps, electric vehicles and data centres.
The Climate Action Plan sets out a number of actions to ensure that data centres are accommodated in a sustainable manner including implementing flexible demand and other innovative solutions for data centres. This has been implemented by EirGrid for new data centres seeking to connect in Dublin.
EirGrid has launched this week a public consultation on 'Shaping our Electricity Future'. The aim is to make the electricity grid stronger and more flexible so that it can carry significantly more renewable generation as well as meet increasing demand from high volume energy users such as data centres. EirGrid’s consultation will align with Ireland’s strategy to further reduce electricity emissions which will be set out in this years revision to the Climate Action Plan.
Work is also ongoing by the Renewable Electricity Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPAs) Steering Group, led by the the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) in order to deliver on the step up in ambition in the Climate Action Plan of meeting 15% of electricity demand from CPPAs by 2030. A public consultation on options is currently underway and is running until the 31st March 2021; the relevant documentation is available at www.seai.ie
