Kildare data centre opponents to take part in  Dublin protest

Naas residents concerned about proposed data centres are set to join thousands of protesters from across the country on Saturday, November 7 to voice their opposition to large data centre developments.

The demonstration is being organised by Friends of the Earth Ireland along with community groups and starts from the Garden of Remembrance at 12pm.

This comes in the context of the proliferation of data centres in Ireland, particularly in the east. In Kildare, the council approved Herbata Ltd’s €3 billion data centre complex in Naas, which would triple the electricity demand of the county if built. The council approved the development subject to conditions, thought that decision is under appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála.

Also in Naas, Microsoft has acquired a 54.55-hectare site in Jigginstown which is zoned exclusively for data centre use by Kildare County Council.

In addition, the Kildare Innovation Campus proposed for Barnhall Road, Leixlip, includes plans for a phase-one data centre developed along with digital/technology infrastructure.

A pan-European event, over 101 groups from fifteen countries across the continent are participating in this weekend’s demonstrations.

Friends of the Earth Ireland says the proliferation of data centres is increasing energy bills and locking Ireland into a new generation of fossil fuels.

Ireland was cited recently in a UN report on the environmental impact of AI growth as a “cautionary tale”.

Data centres now use 23% of all electricity in Ireland, one of the highest percentages globally.

Niamh Fitzgibbon from Kildare Data Centre Awareness commented: “Lots of communities in Ireland and Europe are facing runaway large-scale data centre development but too often each community fights this alone. The same issues are showing up everywhere, from Kildare to the rest of the world. We're standing together, and if our representatives won't represent us, we'll represent ourselves.”

“Our community is being asked to pay the price for big tech’s profits. We take a lot of hope in seeing other communities around Ireland and Europe are all facing the same thing and getting organised.”

Rosi Leonard, Data Centre Campaign Lead for Friends of the Earth Ireland, said: “New data centres pose a threat to energy security, climate goals, clean energy targets, affordability, and demand for new fossil fuels. We’re proud to join other countries and communities who are all asking the same question as us: who benefits from massive data centre build-out, and who pays the price?”

She added: “A moratorium on new data centres in Ireland should be common sense; they are increasing our energy bills, they are locking us into a new generation of fossil fuels, and workers’ rights are being undermined more and more by expensive gambles on AI.”

It emerged in October that Kildare County Council was set to write to two government ministers calling for a national moratorium on new data centre development after a Labour Party-led group called for the move.

This was after Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil councillors cited concerns about undermining the planning system as they rejected two motions seeking a review of data centre zoning at a meeting of Kildare County Council in September.

The people of Naas had turned out in force ahead of the meeting, urging the council to overturn the zoning, citing concerns such as the environmental impact of data centres, and noise and air pollution.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme