**Six-Year Legal Battle Ends as €1.6 Billion Irish Data Center Project Gets Final Approval**

High Court Greenlights Long-Delayed 200MW Data Center Campus in County Clare March 16, 2026 A major data center development in Ireland, first proposed in 2019, has finally cleared its last legal hurdle, highlighting the intense scrutiny and regulatory challenges facing the industry in a country where data centers are projected to consume nearly a fifth of the national electricity supply. On Friday, March 13, the Irish High Court dismissed the final application for a judicial review against the €1.6 billion ($1.8 billion) project, bringing to a close a six-year saga of permitting difficulties and legal challenges. The case was spearheaded by anti-data center activist Colin Doyle, with support from the environmentalist group Friends of the Irish Environment. The plaintiffs had argued that Ireland's planning appeals board, An Bord Pleanála, failed to adequately consider climate obligations under the 2015 Climate Action Act and specific environmental factors, including the presence of a protected bat species in the area. The court's decision allows developer Art Data Centres to proceed with constructing a 200MW campus on a 145-acre site in County Clare, rezoned for this purpose in 2019. The planned facility will feature six data halls, each offering 200,000 square feet (18,580 square meters) of space. It is designed with an 83MVA off-grid power source and partnerships with wind, solar, and biogas providers, with the first phases scheduled to go live by the end of 2028. The ruling is seen as a significant precedent for large-scale digital infrastructure projects in Ireland, which have faced growing public and legal opposition due to strain on the energy grid. A Central Statistics Office report from June 2025 indicated data centers consume approximately 20% of Ireland's metered electricity, fueling several high-profile appeals against new developments. In a statement, Art founders Tom McNamara and Vincent Fogarty said, "The judgement recognizes that there is a future for environmentally-sensitive data center developments like ours, where there is responsible use of renewable energy, grid-supporting generation technology & heat-recycling." They argued such projects outside Dublin can secure Ireland's economic future and its position in the cloud computing economy. Maurice Mortell, chairman of industry advocacy group Digital Infrastructure Ireland, welcomed the decision, stating, "Developments such as Art will be important for the national economy and for Ireland’s standing in the world as a center of excellence in cloud computing." Source: datacenterdynamics