Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 May 2022
218. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he has engaged with the owners of large scale-data centres in the context of persuading them to switch to cloud-based solutions for existing and future infrastructure investments in this State in order to reduce their carbon footprint. [23412/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Climate Action Plan 2021, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has committed to reviewing the 2018 'Government Statement on the Role of Data Centres in Ireland's Enterprise Strategy' to ensure alignment with Ireland’s renewable energy targets, sectoral emissions and climate priorities. This is part of a suite of actions included in the Climate Action Plan 2021 to ensure that Ireland is planning appropriately for new energy demand in the context of our electrification and decarbonisation ambitions, while facilitating growth in digitalisation and our technology sector. In this regard, my Department has been engaging with officials in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, as well as relevant state agencies, on the development of this revised Statement to ensure that there is a plan-led, regionally balanced approach to the connection of data centres, taking into account existing grid availability, security of supply and decarbonisation objectives. As part of this process, all viable options to ensure that the connection of new data centres aligns with CAP21 energy transition objectives, including decarbonisation objectives, will be explored. The minister does not envisage connections of additional new data centre capacity, not already contracted, until such time as they are proven to conform with sectoral emissions ceilings and security of supply.In addition, the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act provides, inter alia, for a maximum amount of emissions to be permitted in different sectors of the economy during a carbon budget period, referred to as ‘sectoral emissions ceilings’. All sectors of the economy have sectoral emissions ceilings and emissions from data centres will be accounted for within the relevant sectoral emissions ceiling.
