Electricity Regulation (Climate Action and Connection to Distribution and Transmission Systems) Bill 2025: Second Stage [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-24
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Colm Brophy (FG), Dublin South-West

I thank the Deputies from across the House for their contributions during this debate. The Government remains fully committed to delivering on the twin objectives of decarbonisation and digitalisation in a sustainable and affordable manner. The sufficiency of the powers available to CRU through the electricity regulation Acts to achieve those objectives is demonstrated through the large energy user policy, which imposes a requirement on them of 80% of their annual demand being met by renewables generated within the Republic of Ireland. Consequently, we are satisfied that CRU does not require additional powers to be conveyed upon it to support those objectives.
While there is a lot of negative discourse around data centres, they are a critical part of Ireland's economic and digital present future and a key part of foreign direct investment. I recognise that Deputy Ahern's contribution did acknowledge that because in our own constituency, there are thousands of jobs that are dependent on the tech industry. Other Deputies in their contributions do not seem to get how important tech companies are to the economy of this country. Whether one likes them or not and whether or not one views them as a bogeyman, they are still very important players in the economy of our country and data centres are part of the tech infrastructure.
Data centres have strengthened Ireland's position as a strategic knowledge and intensive regional hub for that sector. They also support a broader retention expansion of the existing investment, which is an investment of billions in annual economic value to Ireland. They also provide high-wage employment; have tax receipts, which certain parties like to spend hand over fist but do not seem to like where they come from; and have their own supplier ecosystems, all of which are important. Data centres are significant investors in Ireland's renewable energy sector primarily through their long-term power purchasing agreement, which supports significant development within it.
The CRU's 80% renewable electricity requirement will ensure future growth in data centres will drive further sustainable investment in additional renewable generation capacity and supports Ireland's wider decarbonisation objectives. I acknowledge that data centres should be planned, built and operated in an energy and resource-efficient manner and that should be done in line with Ireland's decarbonisation and energy security. The Government's large energy user action plan, LEAP, published in 2026 provides for such an approach. It set out a plan-led approach for very large energy-intensive investments that due to scale and energy consumption will benefit from co-ordinated national infrastructure planning. What is important is a medium-term plan that will enable Ireland to capture the next generation of investment but in a planned and sustainable way. It represents a key strategic industrial policy in support of the Government's objective to accelerate renewable energy development, expedite grid investment and streamline planning for the next wave of industrial development. Alongside LEAP, the CRU large energy user connection policy establishes a pathway for new data centres to seek connection to the electricity system that addresses the security of electricity supplies and risks system constraints and promotes the renewable energy target. To address the climate crisis, work is progressing right across Government to implement climate mitigation measures. We are focusing on actions that will accelerate the delivery of measures resulting in a reduction in emissions across all sectors of the economy. The recent EPA greenhouse gas report reaffirms this providing evidence of our emission reductions this year. Additionally, it confirms we have decoupled emissions and economic growth, which is by the way a very significant milestone. We remain committed to driving forward the climate agenda with unprecedented investment. Ireland remains a leader as we transition to renewable-based electricity systems with almost half of our electricity in February, March and April coming from renewable sources. Ireland consistently has over eight gigawatts of renewable generation capacity with onshore wind the largest contributor to this. To facilitate further renewable connections and overall growth, Government approval was received in July for a €3.5 billion investment in EirGrid and the ESB to facilitate the investment programme of up to €18.9 billion out to 2030. These plans, policies and investments are all part of the Government's work to reconcile Ireland's need for growth and prosperity and provide our citizens with a shared need to achieve our climate goals and live sustainably.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:50+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-24