Green Light for US$3 Billion Data Campus in Kildare

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--A US$3 billion data center project planned for County Kildare in Ireland has been given the green light by local planning authorities despite strong opposition from environmental groups.

The proposed data center campus by Herbata Limited will see the construction of six two-storey data halls on a large site next to the M7 motorway and business park at Naas. Each of the buildings will have loading bays, external plant area, including electrical and mechanical plant rooms, fuel compound, sprinkler tanks and associated ancillary development. The buildings will contain a 24,755-square-meter (266,460-square-foot) data hall offering 30 megawatts (MW) of capacity, giving the campus 180 MW on completion. Opposition to the project from Friends of the Earth and An Taisce was mostly on environmental grounds but the developers argued that proposed emissions had been greatly reduced in the revised plant design. The decision is likely to be appealed to the national planning authority, An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP).

The company's chief executive, Gerry Predergast, told media that the centre's original design would have produced 28 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO") during its predicted 20-year lifespan. "We had discussions with Kildare County Council and we got that down to six million tonnes, and then we got it down to 4.5 million tonnes over the life of the project. In addition, the campus will not draw power from the national electricity grid - an issue that has put data center development in Ireland in the crosshairs. Herbata said it has secured power purchasing deals with a number of renewable energy suppliers that will provide 50% of its power. The rest will be supplied by on-site gas turbines, gas engine and battery energy storage systems (BESS), which will be provided within each data building. There are also plans to install 1.5 MW of on-site rooftop solar power utilizing 3,000 panels. Industrial Info is tracking a number of projects related to the Naas data center campus. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the reports.

The Irish government is firmly behind the development of data centers, but they currently account for 21% of the nation's electricity demand and have caused major strain on the power grid in urban centers like Dublin. This has put data center development in the spotlight and has forced the government to impose a moratorium on the development of new data centers in the Greater Dublin area due to increased pressure on the grid. Industrial Info is tracking more than US$7 billion worth of Irish data center-related projects. Subscribers can click here for the reports.

As reported by the Irish Times newspaper, a submission on behalf of County Kildare Chamber by its chief executive officer, Sinead Ronan, stated: "This project represents a significant and timely investment in Naas and the wider Kildare region, delivering multiple economic, environmental and infrastructural benefits. The 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".

A Herbata spokesman welcomed the decision: "We are very pleased with the decision by Kildare County Council to grant planning permission for Herbata's planned Data Centre Campus'. This decision will facilitate a new approach to data centre development in Ireland, one that is leading edge and which will not depend on the national grid for power. It is also a milestone development in the data centre world as it provides a clear path to zero emissions. This is an important development also in underpinning the ongoing growth of the IT and AI sector which is so important to the Irish economy."

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).