Draft government data centre report omitted concerns over housing and infrastructure trade-offs
Thursday 6 August 2026
Records show a draft version of a government report on data centres questioned the opportunity cost of supporting the sector over public housing and transport.
A draft version of a government data centre report omitted points questioning investment in the sector, including impacts on housing and infrastructure.
The records, obtained by Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan and seen by The Journal, reveal several key differences between the drafting phase and the final version of the report released to the public. Prepared by KPMG for the Department of Enterprise, the initial draft questioned the ongoing investment in the data centre sector and highlighted the potential trade-offs of supporting it.
Among the omitted elements was a discussion on the opportunity cost of supporting data centres over housing. The draft raised the question of whether investment and infrastructure support directed at data centres would be more impactful if instead routed toward public services such as housing and transport. Ultimately, all mentions of housing were removed from the final version of the report.
Additionally, the draft version included calls for mandated sustainability targets on water and energy use, alongside considerations regarding the impact of utilising farmland for data centre development. These points were also removed before public release.
The report also excluded a section analysing the potential for increased electricity prices driven by rising data centre demand, despite such an analysis being suggested in the initial terms of reference.