Seán Sherlock
Question:194. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the Government Enterprise Statement on Data Centres will be updated. [4421/22]
View answerTuesday, 1 February 2022
Questions (194)
Written answers
My Department plans to complete the review of the 'Government Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Ireland's Enterprise Strategy' in the first half of 2022. It is clear that the Statement needs revision to align enterprise policy with the programme for government renewable energy and climate targets.
My Department will continue to work closely with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and engage with stakeholders such as Eirgrid, the CRU, IDA Ireland and the data centre sector in developing this revised Statement. It will set out the existing policy context, and any additional measures required to ensure that the demand for data centre development can be managed prudently to drive the decarbonisation of our electricity system and deliver regional economic opportunities.
Regulatory measures to manage the impact of demand growth from the technology sector on our electricity system, such as through connection policy or sustainability reporting, may also be required though they are independent of enterprise policy. We will need to ensure that new electricity demands, and the growth of existing demand, are sustainable and use our infrastructure efficiently. The transformation of our electricity and wider energy system, will require innovative and world leading technological and operational solutions on both the supply and demand sides of our energy markets.
The role of data centres in our economy should be assessed in the context of the total economic value they provide, and not as an isolated economic activity. The important economic and societal role of data services such as video calls, streaming services, and other remote work technology became ever more apparent during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data centres securely store and manage the data which keeps much of our information-based economy and society moving. These investments underpin the digital economy in which data is the key asset.