Paul Murphy warns of climate catastrophe over data centres and LNG
Paul Murphy criticised the government’s approach to data centres and proposed LNG imports, arguing they will accelerate climate breakdown and raise household energy bills. He warned the government is prioritising big tech profits and fossil fuel imports over emissions targets, energy resilience and climate science.
Paul Murphy told the Dáil that Ireland is "heading for climate catastrophe," citing 2024 as the warmest year on record at 1.6 degrees above pre-industrial levels and claiming climate-related hunger, sickness and extreme weather already cost about 300,000 lives a year. He accused the government of supporting data centre expansion and importing LNG, which he said would worsen emissions and energy costs.
Murphy criticised a proposed decision from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), saying it effectively allows data centres to choose how they fuel and power themselves. He quoted the CRU Commissioner, saying "it is a matter for the data centres to choose how they fuel and power themselves," and argued that the policy could enable big tech to profit by supplying electricity to the grid.
He said data centres already consume more than 20% of the country’s electricity—over ten times the European average—and could use a third of electricity by the end of the decade. Murphy warned the government’s apparent support for an LNG terminal in Kerry and planned wholesale LNG imports from the US would be "even dirtier than coal," contravening climate science and undermining emissions targets and the Paris commitments.
Murphy linked expanding data centres to higher consumer prices, saying Ireland already has the second-most expensive electricity in Europe and that more data centres would push prices higher. He warned of potential public liability, asking if the government would try to avoid "the 20 billion euros in fines that the public will have to pay," and said carbon taxes were being borne by ordinary people while big tech exceeded carbon budgets.
Murphy directly asked the Taoiseach whether the government will take science seriously, abandon plans to import expensive dirty fossil fuels from America, and reverse course on data centre policy. He framed the debate as a choice between protecting climate targets and enabling further privatisation and profiteering by large technology firms.
Main claim
Paul Murphy told the Dáil that Ireland is "heading for climate catastrophe," citing 2024 as the warmest year on record at 1.6 degrees above pre-industrial levels and claiming climate-related hunger, sickness and extreme weather already cost about 300,000 lives a year. He accused the government of supporting data centre expansion and importing LNG, which he said would worsen emissions and energy costs.
CRU policy and data centre concerns
Murphy criticised a proposed decision from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), saying it effectively allows data centres to choose how they fuel and power themselves. He quoted the CRU Commissioner, saying "it is a matter for the data centres to choose how they fuel and power themselves," and argued that the policy could enable big tech to profit by supplying electricity to the grid.
Energy, LNG and climate science
He said data centres already consume more than 20% of the country’s electricity—over ten times the European average—and could use a third of electricity by the end of the decade. Murphy warned the government’s apparent support for an LNG terminal in Kerry and planned wholesale LNG imports from the US would be "even dirtier than coal," contravening climate science and undermining emissions targets and the Paris commitments.
Economic and social consequences
Murphy linked expanding data centres to higher consumer prices, saying Ireland already has the second-most expensive electricity in Europe and that more data centres would push prices higher. He warned of potential public liability, asking if the government would try to avoid "the 20 billion euros in fines that the public will have to pay," and said carbon taxes were being borne by ordinary people while big tech exceeded carbon budgets.
Questions to the Taoiseach
Murphy directly asked the Taoiseach whether the government will take science seriously, abandon plans to import expensive dirty fossil fuels from America, and reverse course on data centre policy. He framed the debate as a choice between protecting climate targets and enabling further privatisation and profiteering by large technology firms.
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Transcript
Thanks, Count Corla. Taoiseach, we are heading for climate catastrophe. We know that 2024 was the warmest year on record, 1.6 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Already, extreme weather events, hunger and sickness related to climate change are responsible for the loss of about 300,000 lives a year. That figure, unfortunately, is only going to rise. We now have a climate denier in the White House. He says, drill, baby, drill. But here we have a government supported by climate deniers which is saying burn, baby, burn to big tech and their data centres. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have turned this country into a dumping ground for big tech. They're currently using more than 20% of our electricity, more than 10 times the European average. They'll be using a third of our electricity by the end of this decade. Over the past five years, all of the additional wind energy produced in Ireland has been more than outstripped by data centre growth. The programme for government gives the green light for even more of these data centres. Now, we have a proposed decision from the CRU which is explicit in saying that they don't even have to use renewable energy. CRU Commissioner Dr Harrington repeatedly on Morning Ireland said, quote, it is a matter for the data centres to choose how they fuel and power themselves. Almost exactly the same as what Donald Trump said at the World Economic Forum talking about doubling the amount of power produced to benefit data centres and AI. Trump was talking about coal, but here it looks like being LNG, which the Taoiseach is planning to import wholesale from the US. All the signs point towards the government supporting a full commercial LNG terminal in Kerry, making Donald Trump and the Healy Rays very happy, but ignoring the science which says that imported LNG is even dirtier than coal. One of the first things that Trump did when he came to office was leave the Paris Agreement. We must not follow him in abandoning emissions reductions targets, and there could be no more of this hypocrisy of imposing carbon taxes on ordinary people while allowing big tech to blow through the carbon budgets. We already have the second most expensive electricity in Europe. More data centres is going to make it worse by driving the price of energy up even further. The new CRU policy envisages big tech profiteering from whatever electricity they supply to the grid, saying that this can provide a revenue stream for them. Further privatisation, meaning even higher prices. Taoiseach, will you take the science seriously? Will you take climate change seriously? Will you try to avoid the 20 billion euros in fines that the public will have to pay? Will you abandon the plan to import expensive and dirty fossil fuels from America? And will you reverse course on data centres? First of all, you're referring to the publication of the Commission on Regulation of Utilities. Large Energy uses connection policy-minded to decision paper. It's a mouthful, but it's an important document. It's not as you have described, by the way. And I think a lot of people on the industrial side might see a bit of progress in this, but it will take a lot of detailed reading. Could I say that it seems to me that the hard left in this country, you do represent that, decided some time ago that data centres were to be the new enemy of the people, the new enemy in our economy and society. And I've watched in here one after another as you have started to ratchet up language about the threat that they pose. And at first it didn't make any sense to me because you're a prolific user of the services they provide as anybody else's, probably more so. But the new hostility to data centres is about the manifestation of your eternal struggle against the great Western capitalist evil. That's what it is. And I ask you a simple question. You know, you're hostile to the economic model. Fair enough. You don't agree with the economic model that has grown Ireland over the last 50 years. But we do need to have a sustainable development of our energy and data network. I mean, the CRU itself describes data centres and they say data centres are a core infrastructure enabler of a technology risk innovative economy. So we can ban data centres in their entirety, but we need to follow up asking the hard question, what happens to the economy? What happens to workers? What happens to industry? Are we saying we don't want to participate in the AI revolution? The AI revolution is the most profound economic revolution that is currently occurring since the 19th century industrial revolution. It is. But it has a problem. It uses enormous amounts of energy. That's a problem. The US are saying fossil fuels. French are saying nuclear power. We will have wind energy, but we have a gap in between. When the wind starts flowing, the offshore wind in particular, and certainly we're hoping by 2030, five gigawatts, more in 231, 2032. We cannot shut the door on data centres in an absolutist way, which is what you're essentially proposing. You will damage our economy if you do that. You'll damage workers in particular and their prospects for the future. And we will be sending a signal that we don't want to participate in an evolving, growing, innovative economy that will develop despite us. Despite us. There will be massive investment across Europe in AI. Thank you, Taoiseach. Thank you, Deputy Murphy to respond. We need to solve the problems that it throws up, and they do throw up challenges. Deputy Murphy to respond. Taoiseach, the signal you're sending is that you don't care about the climate change challenge. You don't care about the emissions targets because we're going to blow right past them. You don't care. You don't care about the bills going up for ordinary people. You don't care about people who are forced to pay carbon taxes when they have no other way to get to work. You don't care about energy resilience and sustainability when we're now at over 20% of our electricity going to data centres. Why? Because big tech says this is how it should be. Taoiseach, I read your column at the weekend. I listened to you there describe it as an equivalent to the Industrial Revolution. You sound like a man who has drank too much of the big tech Kool-Aid. You need to apply some critical faculties. This is not possible. We currently have 20% more than that of our electricity is being used on data centres. We're going to go to 30% and then beyond. We cannot go in that direction and meet our climate change targets. It is one or the other. And that's why you want to import LNG. So you're also going for fossil fuels. Taoiseach, this is the crisis facing humanity right now. And we need to make the choices. And the choice you are making is to put big tech profits, the same companies that fuel hate for profit, to put them before our children's future. And it's a shameful decision. Taoiseach, to respond, please. You have less than half a minute, Taoiseach. Half a minute, Deputy Murphy took half a year of time. You don't mind a half a minute. Well, I think we should respect the time of the House. Could I first of all say I care about climate just as much as you do. Just as much as you do. And I also care about workers. Not so sure you do, really. But what I want to say The CRU has issued its paper. It bears reflection. If people need to read it, tease it through. But I've never believed that when we have new technological innovations and fundamental change that you ever turn your back on it and ignore it's not happening and sort of go into some sort of cocoon where you're kind of happy with yourself or whatever. That's not in the real world, Deputy. On LNG, by the way, the only issue with LNG is energy security. And it's not about any facility in Kerry or anywhere else. The nation has security of vulnerability. Thank you, T-shirt. If anything happens, our gas pipeline. That's the bottom line that we need to address. And in accordance...