Friends of the Earth Ireland, An Taisce and Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) have called on Kildare County Council to refuse planning permission for a €3 billion data centre due mainly to the increased greenhouse gas emissions it will produce.
In August of last year, multimillionaire engineering entrepreneur and co-owner of Monaghan-based forklift manufacturer Combilift Robert Moffett, through his Herbata Ltd vehicle, lodged plans for the six data centre campus for a site next to the M7 motorway and business park at Naas, Co Kildare
In October, the council stalled the plan after stating that the projected CO₂ emissions from the data centre campus on lands is “excessive” for one development.
In June, Herbata lodged extensive further information on the scheme in response to the concerns pointing out that the data centre would not be reliant upon the existing electricity generation and would get 50 per cent of its power from renewables.
READ MORE
Consultants for the applicants RPS stated that the utilisation of combined cycle gas turbines would result in a consequent reduction of 552,000 tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions
However, in new submissions ahead of a council planning decision this week, Friends of the Earth Ireland, An Taisce and FIE call on the council to reject the plan, while County Kildare Chamber has urged the planning authority to grant permission.
On behalf of FIE, Tony Lowes highlighted the data centres’ projected high greenhouse gas emissions and incompatibility with Ireland’s climate obligations.
He states that the development “could emit nearly a million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year. Over five years, this would account for almost a quarter of Ireland’s electricity sector carbon budget – posing a major adverse impact on national emissions targets”.
On behalf of Friends of the Earth Ireland, campaigns director Jerry Mac Evilly said “the central message of this submission is that the applicant has not clearly or sufficiently addressed significant emissions impacts of the six gas-powered data centres. We therefore call for the application to be rejected”.
On behalf of An Taisce, senior planning and environmental policy officer Phoebe Duvall told the council that to grant permission “would be in contravention of Ireland’s legally binding emissions reduction obligations and contrary to the national climate objective”.
In a submission on behalf of County Kildare Chamber, its chief executive, Sinéad Ronan, told the council that “this proposal presents a forward-looking opportunity to enhance the local economy, support employment and position Kildare as a leader in sustainable digital infrastructure. The project also has a clear alignment to planning policy, climate goals and heritage protection.”
