Publicly funded environmental groups have called on Kildare County Council to reject a proposed €3 billion data centre complex in Naas, warning it could release “nearly one million tonnes” of greenhouse gases annually.
Friends of the Earth Ireland, An Taisce, and Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) have lodged objections to the scheme put forward by Herbata Ltd., owned by engineering businessman Robert Moffett.
Tony Lowes, director of FIE, argued the development was “incompatible” with Ireland’s climate commitments.
“This development could emit nearly one million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year,” he said.
“Over five years, this would account for almost a quarter of Ireland’s electricity sector carbon budget, posing a major adverse impact on national emissions targets.”
Friends of the Earth’s campaigns director, Jerry Mac Evilly, said the issue of emissions had not been adequately addressed.
“The central message of this submission is that the applicant has not clearly or sufficiently addressed significant emissions impacts of the six gas-powered data centres,” he said.
An Taisce’s senior planning and environmental policy officer, Phoebe Duvall, said approving the project would undermine state climate policy.
“To grant permission would be contrary to the national climate objective,” she said.
The project involves six data centres located beside the M7 motorway near Naas. The initial planning application was lodged last year, but Kildare County Council sought further details in October, saying the projected emissions from the campus were “excessive.”
Herbata Ltd. responded in June with further documentation, stating that half the power supply would come from renewable sources. Consultancy firm RPS also argued that combined cycle gas turbines could lower emissions by 552,000 tonnes compared with alternative energy options.
Nevertheless, campaigners insist the plan would still cause unacceptable harm to Ireland’s climate targets.
By contrast, the County Kildare Chamber has urged councillors to give the go-ahead. Chief executive Sinéad Ronan said it represented a chance for local economic development.
“This proposal presents a forward-looking opportunity to enhance the local economy, support employment and position Kildare as a leader in sustainable digital infrastructure,” she said.
The involvement of An Taisce, Friends of the Earth and FIE continues a pattern of environmental organisations playing a prominent role in planning disputes. All three groups receive State funding, and their interventions have previously delayed large infrastructure and agricultural projects.
In 2021, four former Fine Gael Ministers and two Senators issued a joint statement criticising An Taisce for appealing planning permission for a €140 million Glanbia cheese plant on the Kilkenny/Waterford border, warning that the action was “a massive blow to the entire workforce” and risked “jeopardising a much-needed project.” They described the group as “a leading threat to the future of rural Ireland.”
At the time, the TDs argued that “How An Taisce (funded by the taxpayer) are taking the planning system and Government policy to a second court is beyond comprehension.”
Despite repeated calls for reform, the “special position” of environmental NGOs within the planning system was confirmed by then-Housing Minister Darragh O’Brie