In Ireland, over 30 proposed data centers face uncertainty. This comes after the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) instructed national grid manager, Eirgrid and ESB Networks to prioritize applications for data centers in areas with reliable power supplies.
As a result, Eirgrid has voiced concerns that grid access may be denied to many facilities, most of which are located in the Dublin area and have power supply constraints. Already, the operator has pledged to connect 1,800MW of data centers to the grid and has applications to add 2,000 MW more.
The CRU has now launched a consultation to investigate the issue.
Speaking to The Irish Times, David Martin, an Eirgrid spokesperson, said: “The outcome of this consultation will provide clarity to Eirgrid and the data center industry on next steps in terms of the future facilitation of data centers on the electricity system.”
He added: “We look forward to processing connection applications for data centers in line with the resulting policy once the outcome of this consultation is determined by CRU.”
Earlier this year, the operator itself suggested limiting new data center connections to locations outside of Dublin and near renewable energy sources.
The Dublin data center market has expanded rapidly in the last decade, putting a strain on power utilities
