Plans for €1bn data centre campus and solar farm in Co Westmeath
Gordon Deegan
Plans are to be lodged in the coming days for a €1 billion data centre campus and solar farm on a 600-acre site in Co Westmeath.
This follows Red Admiral DC Ltd, which is owned by Offaly businessman Nigel Reams and forms part of his Lumcloon Energy Group, giving notice that it is to lodge plans to Westmeath County Council for a six-unit data centre and a decentralised energy resource on townlands across Rochfortbridge, Co Westmeath.
The project is being developed in partnership with SK Ecoplant, a Korean engineering company that announced its collaboration with Lumcloon to supply power to the data centre in 2023 from solid-oxide fuel cells, which generate electricity from natural gas.
The company is seeking planning permission for a 10-year period.
The scheme also includes a solar farm across 166 hectares (410 acres) of the overall site and is to lie east to the data centre campus.
The application to Westmeath County Council follows An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) in May ruling that the case is not a Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID).
SID applications are lodged direct to An Coimisiún Pleanála and the commission’s ruling has resulted in the plans going before a local authority where a decision can come before ACP on appeal.
The site of the planned data centre campus within a 96-acre site of the overall 60- acre landholding is located in the townlands of Kiltotan, Collinstown, Oldtown and Farthingstown, Co Westmeath.
The site is immediately south-west of Rochfortbridge and occupies land either side of the R446 regional road and M6 motorway.
As part of the SID evaluation process, the company told ACP that a Decentralised Energy Resource (DER) which comprises a number of power assets and technologies will generate, store and manage electricity close to the data centre, rather than relying on the existing electricity network.
The company told the commission that the DER would result in reduced transmission losses, reduced emissions and improved cost and operational efficiencies.
The firm said this would enable the data centre campus to support decarbonisation through digitalisation and support a climate neutral economy.
Documentation lodged with ACP said the DER has been designed to replace conventional standby diesel generators which are typically used for back-up supply.
The planning application is to run concurrent with plans to ACP for high voltage lines and an electrical plant.
The planning notice states that the scheme involves development that will requires an Industrial Emissions Licence from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
