Regulator’s Data Centre Proposals a ‘Kick to Touch’ on Climate

Friends of the Earth criticises CRU proposals on Data Centres given absence of restrictions on fossil gas use and lack of compatibility with climate law

 

Friends of the Earth Ireland has strongly criticised the proposed Commission of the Regulation of Utilities’ Large Energy Users Connection Policy for the absence of substantive measures on decarbonisation, and lack of compatibility with the climate law. 

While this policy is intended to guide the future of Data Centres in Ireland, it will give little comfort to communities, other public bodies and energy providers who have been sounding the alarm on the strain that Data Centres place on our grid and the amount of resources they are soaking up across the country. 

Data centres are already consuming over 21% of our electricity capacity and rising. Friends of the Earth believes that Data Centres present one of the most significant risks to reducing our emissions and halting the tide of extreme weather events like Storm Eowyn. Furthermore Data Centres are locking us into increased fossil fuel use and hoovering up clean and cheaper renewables needed for households and services.

This proposed policy does very little to address these inter-related crises, and leaves the door open to privately operated Data Centres to ramp up their use of fossil fuels without capacity limitations. It is alarming that recommendations from key public bodies on data centre restrictions such as ESB Networks and the SEAI, appear to have been ignored, particularly around the calls for more robust guidelines in areas of constrained capacity. 

 

Rosi Leonard, Data Centre Campaigner at Friends of the Earth Ireland said: 

"While Friends of the Earth Ireland agrees with certain CRU comments on major risks of Data Centres in relation to “the speed at which [their] demand can grow by comparison to other industries, and by comparison to pace of grid infrastructure delivery,” the proposed policy contains a shocking absence of restrictions that would minimise this risk. There are no substantive restrictions on fossil gas use by the power-hungry industry, which is increasingly seeking energy connections to the gas grid as it maxes out the country’s electricity capacity. The proposals, which continue to allow Data Centres to build onsite or local fossil gas generation, is a regressive move that will only lead to higher emissions. Modelling carried out by the SEAI shows that there is a fundamental contradiction between unchecked data centre growth and our climate commitments".

 

Sean McLoughlin, Climate Policy Campaigner at Friends of the Earth Ireland commented: 

 

“The CRU, in this policy proposal, states that it is committed to enabling the ‘twin transitions’ of digitalisation and decarbonisation. However, we strongly reject the CRU’s interpretation that it does not have the legal basis to mandate emission reductions. This proposal’s climate-regressive interpretation of CRU’s legal duties has the potential to elevate the digitalisation drive far above our legally-binding limits on carbon pollution. The CRU can’t simply ‘pass the buck’ to other bodies to enforce climate law.”

 

Seán McLoughlin continued: 

“The regulator cannot wash its hands of the duties imposed under Section 15 of the Climate Act and reaffirmed in the recent Coolglass Wind Farm judgement, which found that public bodies must act in a manner that favors climate objectives, unless specific legal criteria is met. This proposal, however, claims that CRU does not have a mandate to require data centre operators to reduce or offset their carbon emissions. It is difficult to see how these two positions can co-exist. It is now crucial that CRU publishes the legal review upon which this proposal’s conservative interpretation of the regulator’s climate obligations is based. If CRU cannot enforce limits on the carbon pollution of data centres, the public has a right to know why.”

 

Rosi Leonard continued: 

“It looks like without political leadership, the power grab of private Big Tech companies over our energy systems will remain unchecked. Data Centres are a litmus test for who our State will prioritise- will it be the shareholders of Big Tech companies or will it be our communities and eco-systems. It is clear we need to continue to build a movement against data centres across the country in order to protect future generations and ensure households and communities do not bear the burden of Data Centre’s runaway growth.”

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