Barry Ward
Question:133. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding the total percentage of energy used on data centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70038/25]
View answerTuesday, 9 December 2025
Questions (133, 134)
Barry Ward
Question:134. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding the total percentage of electricity that is used by data centres at a national level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70039/25]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 134 together.
Electricity is the main source of energy for the majority of data centres operating in Ireland. Data on data centres metered electricity consumption is published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). According to the CSO, metered electricity consumption by data centres increased from 6,335 Gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2023 to 6,969 GWh in 2024. The percentage share of metered electricity consumption used by data centres rose from 5% in 2015 to 22% in 2024.
While Ireland has attracted some of the best data centre and tech companies in the world, it is important that the Government continues to work with the sector to ensure a secure and decarbonised energy future. Data centres are central to Ireland’s economic and digital future as they are a key part of our value proposition for foreign direct investment and the associated employment. They are central to Ireland’s economic and digital future. I am aware that as Artificial Intelligence continues to develop, the importance of data centres will only increase, not only as the backbone of digital infrastructure but as critical enablers of innovation, scalability, and resilience.
Nonetheless, the rapid pace of data centre growth over the previous decade presents challenges in terms of our energy infrastructure where there are current and real network constraints in facilitating new connections, particularly in the Dublin region. This is why the Programme for Government commits to scale up investment in critical infrastructure and our electricity grid which will be advantageous for all customers and enhance the data centre and digital economy footprint to support continued FDI investment. In addition to this, the new Private Wires policy is designed to unlock private investment in electricity infrastructure by allowing generators to connect directly with users. This means quicker connections, more clean power on the ground.
The Programme for Government 2025 also addresses concerns regarding the sustainability of data centres by committing to allow data centres that contribute both to economic growth and efficient grid usage, by enhancing the use of renewable energy sources, energy efficient technology and energy effective solutions.
Additionally, the Government has included a commitment in the Programme for Government to develop a comprehensive plan to accelerate energy generation, connectivity, and planning processes. This plan will guide the development of data centres in Ireland and provide certainty to industry with regards to making short and medium-term investments.
Question No. 134 answered with Question No. 133.