Amazon Web Services has just received planning permission for three new data centres in Dublin, part of Ireland’s continuing expansion as a European tech hub. On paper, this represents investment, jobs, and Ireland’s position in the global digital economy. But recent events in Memphis, Tennessee, offer a sobering case study in what happens when data centre development prioritises speed over community impact.
Understanding the Scale
Data centres aren’t just warehouses with servers. Modern AI facilities like Elon Musk’s Colossus in Memphis house hundreds of thousands of processors running continuously. This creates two significant demands:
- Massive energy consumption
- Substantial cooling requirements.
The Memphis facility was built in just 122 days after local authorities waived planning regulations, a speed that left little room for environmental assessment or community consultation.
Ireland’s situation differs in important ways. Our planning process, while often criticised for delays, does provide more oversight than Memphis received. But the fundamental resource demands remain identical, and Ireland faces unique vulnerabilities.
Energy and Water: Ireland’s Specific Concerns
Ireland’s electrical grid operates near capacity during winter peaks. Data centres already account for roughly 21% of Ireland’s total electricity consumption, with a single data centre using as much energy as my home county, Kilkenny. Worse still is that figure is still growing and set to reach 30% by 2030. Each new facility adds pressure to a system that struggles to meet existing demand while transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Water usage presents another challenge. Modern data centres use evaporative cooling systems that consume millions of litres daily. In Memphis, residents report concerns about water supply strain. Ireland has different climate conditions, but water infrastructure in Dublin already faces stress during dry periods. Three additional large facilities will increase that pressure.
The Jobs Question
Memphis residents discovered that Colossus employs far fewer people than initially suggested. Data centres are highly automated, once operational, they require minimal staff compared to traditional industrial facilities of similar scale. The construction phase creates temporary employment, but long-term job creation tends to disappoint communities expecting significant local hiring.
Ireland should approach employment projections with realistic expectations. These facilities generate substantial economic activity through property taxes and infrastructure investment, but direct employment numbers rarely match the physical footprint.
What Legitimate Concerns Look Like
The Memphis situation highlights environmental justice issues, a predominantly Black neighbourhood experiencing increased pollution without consultation or benefit. Ireland’s planning system should prevent similar scenarios, but it’s worth asking specific questions:
Air Quality and Community
Will continuous emissions monitoring be required? Memphis residents report sulphurous odours from backup generators running constantly. Ireland’s milder climate might reduce generator reliance, but verification matters. I don’t believe Irish authorities will allow anything that is significantly detrimental to the environment, but it’s worth knowing this is an issue for the wider world, and one for us to keep a close eye on.
Memphis received investment without direct community benefit. Irish planning could require specific commitments, grid infrastructure upgrades, renewable energy investments, or community funding, that ensure local areas benefit from hosting these facilities.
Energy Sourcing Transparency
Where will the electricity come from? If these facilities draw from the general grid, they’re competing with residential and business users. Planning permission is conditional on Amazon entering into a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) with a renewable energy provider before the data centres begin operation; a hard requirement from An Bord Pleanála.
Finding Balance
Data centres enable the digital services we use daily, cloud storage, streaming platforms, AI systems, and countless business applications. Ireland’s position as a data centre hub reflects genuine advantages: political stability, renewable energy potential, and connectivity infrastructure.
The question isn’t whether data centres should exist, but how development proceeds. Memphis demonstrates what happens when speed overrides scrutiny, a facility built without meaningful community input, creating environmental concerns that residents now live with indefinitely.
Ireland can do better, but only if we ask difficult questions during the planning process rather than afterward. The Amazon facilities will likely proceed, but the conversation around future developments should incorporate lessons from places like Memphis. Residents near proposed sites deserve transparent information about energy sources (in fact, this stretches nationally given the national impact), water consumption, emissions, and realistic employment prospects.
We don’t need to reject data centre development entirely. We do need to ensure it happens with full awareness of costs alongside benefits, and that communities hosting these facilities receive something beyond increased utility bills and infrastructure strain.
The technology industry moves quickly. Planning processes that prioritise community wellbeing don’t need to match that speed, and probably shouldn’t.
