It’s claimed a proposed data centre campus in North Kerry will devour energy from an LNG terminal.
That’s according to People Before Profit/Solidarity TD Brid Smith, who was speaking after New Fortress Energy confirmed it’s to apply for permission to construct a liquified natural gas terminal in the Shannon Estuary.
This reapplication follows the quashing of an earlier permission in 2019 by the High Court.
Along with the LNG terminal, New Fortress Energy also plans to develop a data centre campus, which could accommodate up to eight energy-heavy data centres.
Deputy Brid Smith says such a campus will devour electricity, put pressure on supplies and not benefit vital services to the extent it should.
People Before Profit introduced a bill this month, recommending the banning of both new LNG terminals and data centres, arguing real climate change action cannot happen if over half of any increase in renewable energy is swallowed up by data centres by 2030.
The Dublin South-Central TD says energy must to be managed more carefully.
