New UCC research commissioned by Friends of the Earth Ireland has found that the growth of data centres is incompatible with Ireland's climate commitments.
The study shows that electricity demand from data centres has grown at an annual rate of almost 23% since 2015, compared to less than 0.5% for other sectors.
Between 2017 and 2023, all additional wind energy generation was absorbed by data centres, according to the research.
The study found that dozens of data centres either have or are seeking connections to the natural gas network which Friends of the Earth said will create vulnerabilities in an already constrained system.
The group said that the research paints a stark picture concerning the increased use of fossil fuels by data centres and highlights how this rising consumption of gas by the industry is creating a blind spot in the country's climate action planning.
"The current trajectory of data centre demand is incompatible with Ireland's climate commitments," said Professor Hannah Daly, the report’s author.
"Data centres are growing far faster than the renewable energy procured to meet their needs," Professor Daly said.
As negotiations regarding the programme for government begin, Friends of the Earth Ireland said it is calling for a reconsideration of the government position on the expansion of data centres.
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"It is clear from this research that the sustainable and simultaneously unlimited growth of data centres is a myth," said Rosi Leonard, Data Centre Campaigner with Friends of the Earth Ireland.
"Soaking up 21% of our electricity supply and rising, we are at the coalface of a scenario where Big Tech is uncritically and incorrectly accepted as an unquestioned force for good despite evidence which shows that its unlimited expansion risks pumping far more pollution into our environment than previously thought," Ms Leonard said.
Three years ago, an effective moratorium was placed on the connection of further new data centres in the Dublin region to the national electricity grid until 2028.
This was because of capacity constraints in the grid, caused ,in part, by the the growth in recent years in the number of data centres and other large energy users, and concerns about the associated carbon emissions.
Digital Infrastructure Ireland, which is made up of ten data centre developers and operators, has warned that failure to address the policy constraints around data centres in Ireland will put the country at risk of missing economic benefits of next generation technologies.
