Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 December 2025
201. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the projected additional power needs for data centres in 2026; if any recent analysis or report has been prepared for him, or within his Department, on the energy needs of data centres in Ireland in 2025 and projected for the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72342/25]
View answerAs the transmission system operator for Ireland, EirGrid is responsible for the operation and planning of the electricity transmission system. To achieve this, EirGrid must balance supply and demand now and forecast how to do so in the future. EirGrid’s All-Island Resource Adequacy Assessment looks at the balance between electricity demand and supply in Ireland for the next 10 years, which includes a ten-year demand forecast.
In EirGrid’s most recent published assessment, the All-Island Resource Adequacy Assessment 2025-2034, published in May 2025, the peak demand from the ramp-up of contracted data centres and new technology loads in 2025 is expected to be around 13% higher compared to the previous year, 2024. The same assessment indicates that peak demand from contracted data centres and new technology loads in 2026 is expected to be around 12% higher in 2026 compared to 2025. Over the next five years, i.e. from 2025 to 2030, peak demand from the ramp-up of contracted data centres and new technology loads is expected to grow by a cumulative 33%.
Ireland has attracted the best data centre and tech companies in the world. This is a really important relationship, and the Government continues to work with the sector towards 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 and are central to Ireland’s economic and digital future.
