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Released July 10, 2024 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Tech giant Google (Mountain View, California) has confirmed plans that it wants to build a third data center at its existing Grange Castle Business Park campus in Dublin, Ireland.
Industrial Info is tracking plans by the company to build a 72,400-square-meter (779,310-square-foot) facility with an estimated investment of 250 million euro ($267 million). The facility will include data halls, offices, staff facilities and other support services. The application also includes the creation of a new active travel route to connect Grange Castle Business Park South and Profile Park Road. "We have issued the formal notice that we will be submitting a planning application to expand our existing data center in Ireland," a spokesperson told the Irish Times newspaper. "This application reflects our ongoing commitment to meeting the growing demand for our services and supporting Ireland's digital economy."
Google, which employs roughly 5,000 people in Ireland, opened its first data center at Grange Park in 2012, followed by a second a few years later. To date, the company has invested approximately 500 million euro ($537 million) to build and operate data centers at the campus. The proposed project for a third data center may run afoul of a clampdown on Irish data center projects. The rapid rollout of new data centers over the past decade has put a strain on Irish energy resources and led to the imposition of a moratorium three years ago on the connection of new data centers in the Dublin region to the national electricity grid until 2028. It is not clear if Google has secured a grid connection agreement with national grid operator, EirGrid. In recent months, a lobbying group, Digital Infrastructure Ireland (DII), which is made up of ten data center developers and operators, warned the government that the country is at risk of losing out on significant data center and technology investment because of constraints on the sector.
"Ireland needs to commit to certainty on its data center policy quickly, otherwise it will miss the next phase of investment into digital developments, having lost the first wave of it over the last two years," Peter Lantry, chairperson of DII told national broadcaster RTE. "Without swift and direct action on this uncertainty, Ireland's position as a welcoming hub for foreign direct investment and a global technology leader is at risk, just as investment in AI is scaling around the world. If the uncertainty continues, particularly in the Dublin metro area, it will reshape Ireland's standing as a choice destination for prominent global projects."
Earlier this year, fellow Grange Park resident Vantage Data Centers (Denver, Colorado) confirmed that work is underway on a new data center campus on the site. Known as DUB1, the 405,000-square-foot campus will be located on a 22-acre site with 52 megawatts (MW) of power split between two project phases of 32 MW and 20 MW. The first phase is expected to be operational by the end of the year. The project will include an on-site 100-megavolt-amperes (MVA) multi-fuel generation plant capable of running a combination of fuels, primarily hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and gas supplied by Gas Networks Ireland. It stated: "Given the temporary power constraints in Dublin, this on-site generation plant will support current capacity constraints by alleviating pressure on energy demand from the grid while achieving optimal efficiency and power output. The generation plant is also capable of funneling power back to the grid, further supporting power availability in the Dublin area."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
Industrial Info is tracking plans by the company to build a 72,400-square-meter (779,310-square-foot) facility with an estimated investment of 250 million euro ($267 million). The facility will include data halls, offices, staff facilities and other support services. The application also includes the creation of a new active travel route to connect Grange Castle Business Park South and Profile Park Road. "We have issued the formal notice that we will be submitting a planning application to expand our existing data center in Ireland," a spokesperson told the Irish Times newspaper. "This application reflects our ongoing commitment to meeting the growing demand for our services and supporting Ireland's digital economy."
Google, which employs roughly 5,000 people in Ireland, opened its first data center at Grange Park in 2012, followed by a second a few years later. To date, the company has invested approximately 500 million euro ($537 million) to build and operate data centers at the campus. The proposed project for a third data center may run afoul of a clampdown on Irish data center projects. The rapid rollout of new data centers over the past decade has put a strain on Irish energy resources and led to the imposition of a moratorium three years ago on the connection of new data centers in the Dublin region to the national electricity grid until 2028. It is not clear if Google has secured a grid connection agreement with national grid operator, EirGrid. In recent months, a lobbying group, Digital Infrastructure Ireland (DII), which is made up of ten data center developers and operators, warned the government that the country is at risk of losing out on significant data center and technology investment because of constraints on the sector.
"Ireland needs to commit to certainty on its data center policy quickly, otherwise it will miss the next phase of investment into digital developments, having lost the first wave of it over the last two years," Peter Lantry, chairperson of DII told national broadcaster RTE. "Without swift and direct action on this uncertainty, Ireland's position as a welcoming hub for foreign direct investment and a global technology leader is at risk, just as investment in AI is scaling around the world. If the uncertainty continues, particularly in the Dublin metro area, it will reshape Ireland's standing as a choice destination for prominent global projects."
Earlier this year, fellow Grange Park resident Vantage Data Centers (Denver, Colorado) confirmed that work is underway on a new data center campus on the site. Known as DUB1, the 405,000-square-foot campus will be located on a 22-acre site with 52 megawatts (MW) of power split between two project phases of 32 MW and 20 MW. The first phase is expected to be operational by the end of the year. The project will include an on-site 100-megavolt-amperes (MVA) multi-fuel generation plant capable of running a combination of fuels, primarily hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and gas supplied by Gas Networks Ireland. It stated: "Given the temporary power constraints in Dublin, this on-site generation plant will support current capacity constraints by alleviating pressure on energy demand from the grid while achieving optimal efficiency and power output. The generation plant is also capable of funneling power back to the grid, further supporting power availability in the Dublin area."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
