Google Ireland Data Centre Faces Disapproval

Google Ireland data centre is under criticism by one of the strongest environmental groups, Extinction Rebellion Ireland (ERI). The organisation said if the planned Google Ireland data centre opens in south Dublin, “it will be met with massive local and national pushback and action”.

Emer Connolly from ERI mentioned details about the disapproval of the Google Ireland data centre expansion in Grange Castle Business Park, south Dublin. She stated, “This expansion is a disaster for local communities, water shortages, transition to a more sustainable economy and reaching our climate targets”.

(Also read: EPA Says 6.8% Emission Reduction in 2023 is a Positive Step Forward)

She further elucidated that the data centre would be under threat of national and local pushback and the environmental groups would not let it go through easily. These groups are looking closely at every move that the data centre people might make.

An Taisce, Ireland’s National Trust firm, confessed that the data centre would ruin the environment, just for the sake of meeting its targets. It would compromise Ireland’s ability to achieve carbon budget limits. Leading to an additional burden on renewables’ capacity. It would only end up increasing the additional power demand of the entire country significantly, An Taisce admitted.

The current Google Ireland data centre would be its third campus in its expansion plan. It would inculcate the construction of 800 employment opportunities and 50 additional jobs when it would become operational once.

As part of the project, a 72,400 square metre data storage facility would be constructed. An eight-hall site would be present over an area of 50 acres.

A response from Ireland’s officials regarding Google Ireland data centre

Sean O’Callaghan, the planning officer from An Taisce, stated that the data centre would consume 21 per cent of Ireland’s electricity power, which restrains the country from meeting its sustainability goals. The data infrastructure remained unchecked in many places in Google’s document when he reached the eighth page of the data centre plan.

The environmental groups would not be happy with the repercussions, Mr O’Callaghan said, as this would put an increment of 5 per cent on electricity usage as compared to the data of 2015, for all the urban households of Ireland.

Mr O’Callaghan is of the view that due to the data centre, national emissions would increase 0.44 per cent in the entire region. It would create an incompatibility to meet the obligations for saving the country’s environment. Even one singular development in this regard would put stress on another half percentage of the national emissions, which would be totally unacceptable for the environmental groups, he proclaimed.

He further added that the electricity grid station in Dublin is already facing great power pressure to make ends meet for the power usage of the households. The new proposed data centres in large numbers would not be a good idea for the country’s future, he asserted.

Friends of the Earth’s head of policy, Jerry MacEvilly, has offered multiple arguments against the planning proposal. He said, “Our concern is that the proposed development would actively undermine the achievement of the state’s carbon budget programme”.

A deeper probe into the matter was submitted to the council by Dr Colin Dyole, saying that Google declared an offset of carbon emissions with greenwashing. Nevertheless, as these purchases are not recorded in business Green House Gas (GHG) accounting systems, such claims are not feasible. Google Ireland data centre would not be capable of offsetting the physical addition of GHG emissions by the centre’s activities in the country.

A final decision on the matter is pending till the end of this month.