An Bord Pleanála has consented to the controversial designs for a £1.02 billion, 200MW data centre campus located on the limits of Ennis, Co Clare. The proposed data centre campus in Ennis consists of six data halls spread across 145 acres, or 1.3 million square feet of terrain situated by Tulla Road, on the eastern periphery of Ennis, in close proximity to junction 13 of the M18 motorway.
Art Data Centres Ltd, the project applicants, have expressed their approval of the decision, mentioning that the fully operational data centre campus is estimated to provide between 400 and 450 permanent occupations and as many as 1,200 positions in construction. The building process for the plan is expected to span six years, according to a spokesman for the company, who recently stated that work would begin as early as possible in 2024.
The Ennis data centre project has endured a six-year progression through numerous stages, inclusive of strategic site assessment, zoning and planning. Art Data Centres’ CEO, Tom McNamara, warmly greeted the news, saying, “This is fantastic news for this data centre campus and for Clare, as the project will be a crucial component of the Ennis 2040 Economic Plan for the region.”
Plans originally suggested a June 2023 start date for construction, but due to resistance and planning setbacks at An Bord Pleanála, the appeals board took more than 18 months to reach a verdict. The board granting the permission upheld an extension granted by Clare County Council for the project in August 2022, and the scheme has been under consideration by An Bord Pleanála since September 2022. The projected development came to the appeals board after receiving eight objections from organisations and individuals that included An Taisce, Friends of the Irish Environment, Futureproof Clare, the Clare Green Party, Dr Colin Doyle, Martin Knox, Colin Johnston and Christine Sharp.
An Taisce conveyed in its appeal that they propose the rejection of the plan, citing that the project would necessitate a substantial quantity of power, which in turn would produce an estimated 657,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.