An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-01
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Joe Conway (IND), Cultural and Educational Panel

I want to record my concerns about the proposed data centre and energy campus development at Blackknock in Adamstown, Kilmeaden, County Waterford.
The proposal by Echelon Data Centres and Kent Homes Limited includes three large data centres, a solar farm, battery energy storage systems and a gas-powered energy centre across approximately 108 ha of rural land.
While located in Kilmeaden, the issues raised by this development are of national importance. At a time when Ireland is seeking to reduce emissions and meet ambitious climate targets, serious questions arise regarding the project’s electricity demand and source of supply, the role of gas-fired generation and associated emissions, water consumption and its impact on local resources and aquifers, the cumulative impact of large-scale data centre developments on Ireland’s energy infrastructure and the compatibility of such developments with national climate, planning and environmental policies. This proposal also raises broader concerns regarding the industrialisation of rural communities and the long-term implications for Ireland’s environment, energy security and infrastructure capacity. I believe these matters warrant national scrutiny and should not be considered solely through the local planning process.
Also, in light of the recent Friends of the Earth and United Nations report regarding data centres, which could all be read here with redound, I am deeply concerned about the road we are taking. Many would say that the world is beginning to tip into great climate challenge. Just this morning I saw in The Irish Times that there is a likelihood we will face €13 billion annual fines for breaching emissions targets in the decades to come.
I respectfully request we seek a debate in Seanad Éireann on the implications of this development and the wider policy issues surrounding large-scale data centre projects in Ireland.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-01/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:08+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-01