I must now deal with a deferred division relating to the ministerial amendment to the motion on data centres, energy use and climate change. Yesterday, on the question that the amendment be made, a division was claimed and the division must be taken now.
Data Centres, Energy Use and Climate Change: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Ciaran Ahern on Wednesday,17 June 2026:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes that:
— climate change resulted in Irish temperatures in excess of 30°C in May, breaking a 29-year-old record by more than two degrees;
— a United Nations report has described Ireland as a cautionary tale on the environmental impact of data centres;
— the Government is implementing policies that will increase fossil fuel use, by facilitating further new data centres through the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) Large Energy User (LEU) connection policy, the introduction of private wires legislation, and the construction of a floating terminal for the importation and storage of liquid natural gas, including fracked gas;
— over 22 per cent of our electricity is already used by data centres, this will rise to over 30 per cent by 2030, and to 55 per cent if growth continues as projected, using more power than every other electricity user in the country combined;
— in May, the Climate Change Advisory Council noted that all new renewable energy being developed in the State is being cannibalised by new demand created by data centres, rather than going towards decarbonising homes, transport or industry;
— research projects that the 5.8 gigawatt (GW) of additional data centre capacity under the LEU may result in a doubling of the State's peak demand for electricity generation, and lead to an increase in gas consumption by 2030 against the current projected decline, should capacity be constructed ahead of new renewables capacity; and
— no offshore wind power generation capacity will be available before 2030 despite a 5 GW target;
further notes that:
— Ireland has the highest electricity prices in the European Union, and over 500,000 households are in arrears on their energy bills;
— the increased and inflexible energy demands of data centres means that more and more often gas generation sets the wholesale price of electricity, rather than renewables, resulting in higher prices for households, while Eurostat shows that large energy users pay lower network charges;
— research by Friends of the Earth Ireland, shows that Irish households paid an estimated €715 million more in electricity bills from 2015 to 2023 due to data centres, equivalent to €360 per household, and face an additional €1.43 billion in costs up to 2034, costing each household up to €644 more; and
— the Economic and Social Research Institute has shown that recent energy price increases hit low-income households harder, and that more targeted support measures are needed;
regrets that:
— the Climate Action Plan 2026 still has not been published;
— the final, phase 2 oversight group report of the Land Use Review, was submitted over a year ago and has still not been published; and
— planned legislation to prioritise critical infrastructure will bypass statutory climate obligations;
recognises that:
— data centres are essential infrastructure for the modern digital economy and the development of artificial intelligence technology but are overly concentrated in Ireland, are using an ever-increasing amount of energy, resulting in higher costs for households and businesses, and increased development is now at odds with our climate targets;
— discussion by Government of nuclear power is a nonsense and a form of climate obstructionism which distracts and blocks real climate action; and
— the Government will further increase carbon emissions by lifting the Dublin Airport cap, promoting unsustainable housing and economic development, and by no longer prioritising public transport and active travel investment over roads construction;
condemns the decision of the Government to use the Critical Infrastructure Bill 2026, to disapply Section 15 of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Acts 2015 to 2021 from designated projects; and
calls on the Government to:
— publish the Climate Action Plan 2026, and the final phase 2 oversight group report of the Land Use Review without any further delay;
— delete Section 7 of the Critical Infrastructure Bill 2026, and publish the legal advice confirming the constitutionality of the provision to disapply Section 15 of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Acts 2015 to 2021;
— suspend the CRU LEU connection policy, and commission an independent study of the impact of data centres on electricity prices, carbon emissions, water usage and grid stability;
— introduce a moratorium on the further construction of data centres until renewable energy from offshore wind comes online, and households and businesses can benefit from lower energy costs;
— introduce a levy on the energy usage of data centres, to recover the higher electricity costs now being imposed on Irish households and businesses;
— confirm by how much Ireland will miss our binding 2030 emission targets, what the cost of securing additional carbon credits will be, and how the next Government will pay for those; and
— immediately reintroduce targeted energy credits and more targeted Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland supports for households in advance of Budget 2027.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes that in relation to Climate Action:
— last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched its latest Ireland's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections 2025-2030, which show that we are moving in the right direction and improving our performance compared with the previous year;
— for the first time, the EPA now projects that we are close to meeting our first carbon budget, following a consistent trend of improving projections for that budget over recent years;
— the EPA is projecting a decrease in emissions of between 13 per cent and 25 per cent by 2030 (from 2018 base);
— emissions are reducing across many sectors while our population is growing, and our economy is growing;
— we now have the lowest level of greenhouse gas emissions in 35 years, and we have decoupled growth from emissions;
— Ireland is at the forefront of transitioning to an electricity system dominated by variable renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, and indeed renewable sources generated almost half of Ireland's electricity in February, March and April of this year;
— significant investment has taken place in increasing the technical flexibility of Ireland's power system to enhance its renewable integration capabilities – through storage and other technologies;
— the electricity system in Ireland can operate with up to 75 per cent wind and solar at any given moment; and
— there are now 241,000 electric and hybrid vehicles on Irish roads;
in relation to, energy affordability:
— the Government is deeply aware of the pressures placed on households and businesses by high energy costs, and has taken a number of steps to support households and business;
— the National Energy Affordability Taskforce (NEAT) was established in June 2025 to identify, assess and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses while delivering key renewables commitments and protecting security of supply and economic stability;
— in recent months the Government introduced a €750 million package of fuel supports, which is among the largest per capita of any European Union state, while Budget 2026 had a range of other measures;
— the Value-Added Tax (VAT) rate on electricity bills has been reduced to 9 per cent VAT until 2030;
— enhanced social protection payments have been introduced, including an increase to the fuel allowance rate and an expansion of the eligibility rules, which applies to about a quarter of Irish households; and
— the NEAT continues to work intensively on an energy affordability action plan to be submitted to the Government in quarter 3 of this year;
in relation to, infrastructure delivery:
— a record allocation of €640 million in Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) retrofitting schemes;
— since 2019, we have invested over €1.8 billion in retrofitting, and we have been able to provide energy upgrades for 268,000 homes;
— in the first quarter of 2026, over 12,000 homes have been upgraded through SEAI schemes, including over 1,500 homes at risk of energy poverty under the Warmer Homes Scheme;
— since the formation of this Government, over 70,000 homes have been upgraded, including over 9,000 homes at risk of energy poverty under the Warmer Homes Scheme;
— Ireland currently has over 8 GW of renewable generation capacity, and onshore wind is the largest contributor to this, with over 5 GW of wind generation capacity and 2.5 GW of Solar Photovoltaics installed, with hydro, biomass, and other small sources contributing the remainder;
— Government approval was received in July 2025 for €3.5 billion investment in EirGrid and ESB to facilitate the investment programme of up to €18.9 billion out to 2030, and connection of 5 GW offshore wind; and
— the Critical Infrastructure Bill 2026, is a timely and important piece of legislation and will make a significant contribution to the prompt delivery of nationally important infrastructure, whilst maintaining robust regulatory, environmental and planning safeguards;
in relation to:
— data centres are a very important part of Ireland's economic and digital present and future, and a key part of our value proposition for foreign direct investment;
— the recent KPMG study on data centres, undertaken on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, reports there are 19,500 directly employed in the industry;
— Ireland's industrial electricity demand is primarily concentrated in our digital economy, this is our core energy intensive industry;
— the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) Data Centre Connection policy published in 2025, clearly set out what is required for a new data centre connection, including the requirement to get 80 per cent of its energy through new renewable sources; and
— the CRU decision simply refers to market research data on 5.8 GW of prospective interest in data centre growth, rather than linked to any contractual demand in place at present; and
further recognises that:
— the Government is committed to taking further action to deliver on the twin objective of decarbonisation and digitalisation in a sustainable and affordable manner;
— the Government is committed to delivering on Ireland's responsibility to address the climate crisis, and work remains ongoing right across Government to implement climate mitigation measures every single day of the week;
— the priority is driving implementation, particularly on high-impact measures with multiple societal and economic benefits;
— the Climate Action Plan will be more focused on the most impactful measures and will report on the ones that make the biggest difference;
— the NEAT continues to work intensively on an energy affordability action plan to be submitted to the Government in quarter 3 of this year; and
— the Government's Large Energy User Action Plan, published in January 2026 sets out a 'plan-led' approach for very large and energy intensive investments, which due to scale and energy consumption will benefit from coordinated national infrastructure planning.".
- (Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Deputy Catherine Ardagh)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 84; Níl, 70; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Aird, William.
- Ardagh, Catherine.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Brian.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Harris, Simon.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Kyne, Seán.
- Lahart, John.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McCarthy, Noel.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- McGuinness, John.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Bennett, Cathy.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Collins, Michael.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Ennis, Daniel.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gogarty, Paul Nicholas.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Kenny, Eoghan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- McGuinness, Conor D.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Hara, Louis.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Sherlock, Marie.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Duncan Smith and Ciarán Ahern.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 83; Níl, 70; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Aird, William.
- Ardagh, Catherine.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Brian.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Kyne, Seán.
- Lahart, John.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McCarthy, Noel.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- McGuinness, John.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Bennett, Cathy.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Collins, Michael.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Ennis, Daniel.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gogarty, Paul Nicholas.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Kenny, Eoghan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McGuinness, Conor D.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Hara, Louis.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Sherlock, Marie.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Eoghan Kenny and Ciarán Ahern.
Question declared carried.
Is féidir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scríofa ar www.oireachtas.ie.
Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 9.45 p.m. go dtí 8.47 a.m., Déardaoin, an 18 Meitheamh 2026.
The Dáil adjourned at 9.45 p.m. until 8.47 a.m. on Thursday, 18 June 2026.