Minister Rejects Claims Data Centres Block Housing Grid Connections

Minister Darragh O'Brien has stated that no housing development in Ireland has failed to connect to the electricity grid because of a data centre.

During a Dáil debate on data centres, Deputy Pa Daly raised concerns about grid capacity, arguing that public infrastructure such as housing, water connections, and electricity should be prioritised over new data centre developments. Daly asserted that some housing developments have been placed behind data centres in the queue due to a first-come, first-served connection system. He also referenced a bill introduced by Sinn Féin on grid prioritisation.

O'Brien rejected these claims, stating that no housing project has been left unconnected due to data centres. He highlighted that Ireland's energy demand is projected to double between now and 2050, which is being managed through the Government’s Large Energy User Action Plan (LEAP) and up to €18.9 billion in grid investment. He noted that the PR6 investment programme outlines necessary infrastructure, including the planned construction of 300,000 new homes, industrial growth, and the MetroLink project.

According to O'Brien, data centre-dependent sectors enable €104 billion in gross value added, representing approximately 20% of the Irish economy. The technology sector employs around 183,000 people, with 19,000 jobs directly in the data centre industry. To manage energy demand, the CRU large energy user connection policy requires 80% of new energy demand for any new data centre connection to come from renewable sources. O'Brien added that clean renewable sources generated approximately 50% of Ireland's electricity so far this year.