Photograph: Getty Images/iStockNew data centres in Ireland could need additional energy supply that is almost equal to the peak electricity demand for the entire country. 5.8GW would equal the electricity demands of millions of households, and would be almost as high as the record peak winter electricity demand for the entire country. Concerns have been raised, however, about the strain that data centres are placing on Ireland’s national energy infrastructure, and their environmental impac. EirGrid had already forecast electricity demand from data centres would increase from 9.4 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2025 to 14.6TWh in 2034. This would be a doubling of the 2023 electricity demand from data centres, and would mean the percentage of national electricity demand consumed by the centres would rise from 22 per cent in 2024 to 31 per cent by 2034.

Source: The Irish Times December 15, 2025 15:02 UTC