Energy Policy: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-17
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Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (SF), Kildare South

Gabhaim buíochas le Pobal seachas Brabús as ucht an rún seo a chur os ár gcomhair and for giving me the opportunity to highlight the disaster that is the Jigginstown Herbata data centres in Naas. The people in Kildare have serious concerns about the development of these data centres. Profits of corporations are being put before the liveability of the town as well as the livelihoods and well-being of its residents. The scale of the proposed project in Jigginstown is terrifying. If built, the Herbata complex would span an area seven times the size of Croke Park, reportedly consume three times as much electricity as the whole of Kildare annually, as well as 18,000 litres of water a day. This would jeopardise urgently needed future housing in the county by placing additional pressure on stretched infrastructure. The massive drain on energy resources by data centres will also lead to spikes in bills for families and small businesses who are already struggling to keep the heating and the lights on. The Government is wilfully and recklessly allowing the situation to deteriorate.
The environmental impact is equally alarming. The data centres proposed for Jigginstown will rely on gas and emit up to 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 per year. That is equivalent to the emissions of half a million cars. If allowed to go ahead, this project will spell disaster, worsening the already dire cost of living, housing and climate crisis.
The hyperscale facility would create further problems in terms of noise pollution and property valuation due to being planned mere metres away from an established residential area. We are not against data centres wholesale but there has to be a balancing of interests. At the moment, Government is neglecting the public good in favour of wooing multinational investment. In terms of cost and benefit, the number of jobs created would be minimal and does not justify the harm the development would inflict on the environment and the quality of life of the community. The project simply must not go ahead. The land must be rezoned before the Jigginstown application is submitted. Sinn Féin Councillor Noel Connolly will bring a motion to Kildare County Council that would oblige the chief executive to initiate the rezoning process. There will be a protest outside Áras Cill Dara at 1.30 p.m. on 28 September when this motion is being discussed.
The motion before us tonight is consistent with that objective and represents an important step towards restoring balance and protecting communities. For too long, companies have been drawing on Ireland's natural resources while our citizens bear the cost. The Government needs to finally show leadership, stand up to tech and say, "Enough is enough". Teastaíonn cothromaíocht inár gcur chuige i leith forbairt ionaid sonraí. Go dtí seo, fuair comhlachtaí teic carte blanche chun pé méid acmhainní gur mian leo a úsáid, beag beann ar an tionchar ar chúrsaí tithíochta, timpeallachta, soláthair fuinnimh agus uisce. I lár géarchéim chostais mhaireachtála, tá sé in am ag comhlachtaí teic a gcion féin a íoc. Cuirfimid ár bpobail agus ár gcaighdeán maireachtála roimh an mbrabús.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-17