More than a fifth of the country’s electricity is gobbled up by data centres, a share set to rise to nearly a third by 2034. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) said in December that new data centres could go ahead, arguing they are “a core infrastructure enabler of a technology-rich, innovative economy”. Power demand is outstripping supply in the US and Asia too and consultancy McKinsey believes up to a third of global data centre demand is unmet. ‘Over a billion eyeballs will be on the parade’: St Patrick’s festival CEO Richard Tierney Listen | 40:38But Ireland’s new data centre pathway is challenging. UK-based Pure Data Centres Group and its power systems partner AVK-SEG offered one blueprint for a potential solution when it launched Europe’s first off-grid data centre microgrid in Dublin last week.

Source: The Irish Times March 17, 2026 19:02 UTC