Data centres refused planning due to ‘insufficient capacity’

PLANS for two adjoining data centres in the townland of Ballymakaily, west of Newcastle Road (R120) in Lucan have been refused permission due to “insufficient capacity” in the electricity grid network.

The planning application by EdgeConneX Ireland Limited was submitted last May where permission was sought for the data centres with associated office and service areas.

The proposed structure would have produced an overall gross floor area of 15,274 sq m comprising the construction of two adjoined single-storey data centres with a gross floor area of 12,859 sq m.

The floor area included a single-storey goods receiving area/store and a single-storey office area (2,415 sq m) with PV panels above, located to the east of the data centres.

Provision of an associated water tower, sprinkler tank, pump house and other services formed part of the plans.

The data centres also included a plant at roof level, with 24 standby diesel generators with associated flues that were to be located within a generator yard to the west of the data centres.

Also included were a new internal access road and security gates to serve the proposed development that will provide access to 36 new car parking spaces and sheltered bicycle parking.

New attenuation ponds were to be located to the north of the proposed data centres, while green walls were proposed to the south and east that will enclose the water tower and pump house compound.

The development also included ancillary site works, and connections to existing infrastructural services as well as fencing and signage.

On July 20, 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.

The issues with 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.”