The Mayor of Ennis is branding claims relating to data centre emissions as ‘unfounded’.
It comes as Clare County Council has granted planning permission for such a facility on the outskirts of the county town.
The local authority has this week green-lighted the development of a data centre on the outskirts of Ennis.
The campus will be built on the Tulla Road at Junction 13 on the M18 Galway to Limerick motorway.
The overall investment will be worth €1.2 billion and this first phase is valued at €450 million.
The project has been contested by local environmentalists, with a public meeting hosted by Futureproof Clare last week where what they described as ‘deep concerns’ were aired.
A new Government Policy Statement on the role of Data Centres in Ireland was published at the end of July which outlines a preference for developments that make efficient use of our electricity grid and that can demonstrate renewable energy use
Therefore, the Ennis campus’ approval by the locality authority indicates its considered to align with this policy.
Ennis Fianna Fail Councillor, Clare Colleran Molloy has hit out against some of the claims being levelled against the data centre.
An Independent Councillor in the county town is urging the public to consider the bigger picture and the necessity for data centres into the future.
Barefield Councillor Ann Norton is confident all concerns would have been duly assessed during the planning process and insists the public had ample opportunity to voice any objections.
She is also pointing to the benefits the data centre will bring to the local economy,
Art Data Centres, the developer behind the project, is set to create between 400- 450 permanent jobs when fully operational, while up to 1,200 will be employed in construction and 600 jobs in support services.
Councillor Norton believes if the development was rejected now, it would be a regret in five years time.
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