Calls for Green Party to back the bill to ban additional data centres whilst Ireland is in a climate emergency
Following reports form Wind Energy Ireland that Ireland risks missing its climate targets due to a shortfall in wind energy generation People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith has said today that any additional data centre development in this country would be contrary to our climate targets- especially in a climate emergency.
The TD pointed out that with the planned expansion of the data centre sector and development in this country Ireland would be further locking itself into reliance on fossil fuels for other sectors because of the amount of renewable energy capacity that the data centres would demand.
She called on the government, especially Green Party TDs, to support the People Before Profit Planning and Development (Climate Emergency Measures) (Amendment) Bill 2021 which would ban the construction of anymore additional data centres in this country whilst we are in a climate emergency (while carbon in the atmosphere registers as over 350 parts per million).
Deputy Smith said: “The report from Wind Energy Ireland today shows that we risk missing our climate targets due to a lack of renewable wind generation capacity.
“The addition of data centres on top of this demand would throw our climate goals out the window. The existing 70 data centres in this country consume 11% of entire electricity output and 30 are planned with another 8 under construction. This additional burden on the energy system is completely unsustainable and would also present massive problems for us in terms of blackouts for ordinary people and businesses.
“I call on Green Party TDs to use their sway in government and back this bill so that our national policy around data centres can be rational and sustainable. Anything other than full support for this bill from the Greens would represent a betrayal of the climate movement and an abandonment of Ireland’s climate targets and obligations.”
