Appeal against planning permission for facilities still ongoing
Three data centers AWS plans to build in Dublin, Ireland, will have no 'significant impact on climate,' it has been claimed.
Local councillors have granted planning permission for the trio of data centers, located in northwest Dublin on Cruiserath Road, but an appeal against the decision has been lodged by opponents. If built, the facilities would offer a total gross floor area of 42,589 sqm (458,424 sq ft).
AWS secured planning permission from the Fingal County Council in 2023. However, environmental campaigners appealed the decision, meaning Irish planning body An Coimisiun Pleanala (ACP) will make a final decision on whether to give the development the green light.
According to The Irish Times, John Spain Associates, the planning consulting firm working on behalf of an AWS-affiliated firm, Universal Developers LLC, said: "The proposed development involves significant and effective measures to mitigate climate impact, and the result is a development which will have no significant impact on climate."
John Spain Associates was responding to a request for further details on the project from ACP. If built, Irish utility Eirgrid will deliver power to the facilities.
Ireland’s attitude towards data centers has shifted as the industry’s presence in the country has expanded. In May, bestselling author Sally Rooney appealed against a proposed two-story, 36MW facility in County Mayo.
