Echelon Data Centres said its DUB20 data centre campus in Arklow, Co Wicklow will become the country's first Green Energy Park.
Green Energy Parks, as defined by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, are developments that co-locate large energy users such as data centres with renewable energy generation.
They are required to be mainly powered by renewables with battery storage or dispatchable backup from energy centres, can demonstrate reduced reliance on the national grid and can promote benefits such as using waste heat for district heating schemes.
The DUB20 campus, which forms part of Echelon's €4.2 billion investment in the DUB20 and DUB30 facilities in Wicklow, is located at the former Irish Fertilisers Industries site at the Avoca River Business Park in Arklow.
Construction is underway and due to be finished by 2028.
The DUB20 campus includes a joint 220kV substation developed with SSE Renewables, facilitating access for up to 800MW of offshore wind energy from Arklow Bank Wind Park Phase 2.
Solar PV systems are also planned as part of the DUB20 development, with the potential to generate more than 6,000MWh a year.
The campus will feature two onsite energy centres, including one capable of exporting power to the national grid during periods of low renewable output - creating the largest grid-supporting asset in Ireland that is not a dedicated power station.
Echelon also plan to co-locate battery energy storage systems and use hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to reduce onsite generation emissions by up to 90%.
"Together, these elements reflect the core characteristics of Green Energy Parks identified by Government - renewable-led supply, storage integration, demand flexibility and meaningful contribution to grid stability," it said.
Echelon co- founder Graeme McWilliams said the establishment of the country's first Green Energy Park at DUB20 demonstrates how large-scale digital infrastructure can be developed responsibly and in lockstep with national climate and energy policy.
"By co-locating data centre capacity with offshore wind, onsite solar and grid-supporting infrastructure, we are delivering the exact model envisioned under the Government's LEAP framework – cutting emissions, reinforcing energy security and supporting regional economic growth," he added.
Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O'Brien said he expects Green Energy Parks to play a key role in achieving Ireland's climate targets while sustaining investment, employment and digital infrastructure growth.
"The Large Energy Users Action Plan (LEAP) sets out a clear pathway for how energy-intensive industries can develop in a way that strengthens Ireland’s grid, accelerates renewable deployment and supports our climate ambitions," Minister O'Brien said.
"The Green Energy Park being developed at DUB20 is an important example of that model in action - co-locating data infrastructure with offshore wind, onsite solar, battery storage, and grid-supporting capacity. This is exactly the kind of forward-planned, sustainable development we want to see delivered under LEAP," he added.
