Data Centre provider slams council’s decision

A DATA centre provider has claimed that South Dublin County Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for two data centres in Lucan is “inherently flawed” and has lodged an appeal against it.

As previously reported in The Echo, EdgeConneX Ireland Limited’s plans for two adjoining centres in Ballymakaily, west of Newcastle Road (R120), were refused permission last July.

South Dublin County Council refused permission for the construction of the two data centres due to “insufficient capacity in the electricity network”.

The council added that the lack of a fixed connection agreement to connect to the grid, and the lack of significant on-site renewable energy to power the proposed development contributed to its decision.

It was also noted that the proposal did not comply with an objective in relation to the retention and protection of existing green infrastructure and provision of green infrastructure at the site.

However, EdgeConneX submitted an appeal to An Bord Pleanála this week, in a bid to overturn the council’s decision.

The company stated in its appeal that it has an existing connection agreement with Eirgrid, and disputed that there were capacity issues and claimed that the council’s concerns about it were “unfounded”.

In terms of renewable fuel, EdgeConneX stated that the data centres had been designed to operate using renewable energy sources when they become available.

The company’s plans include using power from one of its gas-powered generation plants in the short-to-medium term, and EdgeConneX said this would “benefit the stability” of the national grid.

A decision on the appeal is due from An Bord Pleanála by mid-December this year.

The issues with the pressure that data centres place on the National Grid have previously been risen at both council and government level.

Cllr Madeleine Johansson (PBP), who proposed a moratorium on data centres in South Dublin County, previously said: “We know that data centres are putting extraordinary pressure on local infrastructure such as water and electricity.

“They provide very few jobs for the land space and resources that they use.”