Plans to develop a €3 billion data centre complex in County Kildare, Ireland, could ‘set a dangerous precedent for similar developments in Europe’, non-profit ClientEarth has said.
The Herbata complex, located in Naas, is currently under planning review, with local authorities granting planning permission for the facility back in August. Following that decision, Friends of the Irish Environment and Friends of the Earth Ireland lodged a joint appeal on the permission to Ireland‘s planning body, An Coimisiún Pleanála, to seek to block its development.
In a statement, ClientEarth suggested that the complex could breach Ireland’s environmental obligations and undermine international law.
The group cited the facility’s potential to ‘triple electricity demand’ for the county, which it said would risk locking Ireland into fossil fuel dependancy to meet growing energy demands, as well as increased costs for consumers.
Environmental impact
“This proposal is an enormous energy drain dressed up as progress,” commented ClientEarth lawyer Natascha Hospedales. “The climate, energy, and environmental impacts of this centre are major, and planning permission should be refused in our opinion.
“Ireland’s planning authorities have a legal duty to make decisions consistent with the country’s climate plans and carbon budgets. Granting permission for a project that would burn through a quarter of the power sector’s entire carbon ceiling isn’t just bad policy – it’s unlawful. Therefore in our view, permission should be refused outright.”
‘Test of Europe’s credibility’
With the European Union seeking to establish itself as a hub for AI development – powered by renewable energy – the Kildare data centre development would mark a “test of Europe’s credibility”, Hospedales added.
“If a single data centre can consume close to a fifth of the power a major city requires, then the EU’s promise of a clean energy future rings hollow,” she said.
“The Herbata project risks tying up scarce renewable power and lock Ireland – and by extension Europe – more deeply into fossil gas. Real digital progress means smart, efficient infrastructure powered by new clean energy, not a private drain on the grid.”
The Herbata data centre plans would involve a complex of six data centre buildings located close to the M7 motorway and Naas business park. The Irish Times reported that the company has pledged to power the site entirely by renewables in due course. Read more here.
