Paul Murphy: Data centres 'swallowing' renewables and driving bills
Paul Murphy warned the energy transition "isn't happening", citing that 80% of energy still comes from fossil fuels and that data centre electricity use has grown more than 400% in the last 10 years. He argued big tech is consuming added renewable capacity, pushing up household electricity bills, and called for an energy guarantee scheme and a protest on 28 February.
Energy transition assessment
Paul Murphy said the energy transition is failing, noting that 80% of the country's energy still comes from fossil fuels despite additions to renewable capacity.
Data centres and electricity demand
He highlighted that data centre electricity usage has ballooned by more than 400% in the past decade and is on a trajectory to rise faster, which he said is swallowing up newly added renewable generation.
Impact on households and cost of living
Murphy linked the growth in data centre demand to rising bills, saying electricity costs will be about 10% higher this year than last and noting almost 300,000 people are in arrears on their electricity bills.
Proposals and protest call
He urged ministers to heed groups such as Friends of the Earth, called for an energy guarantee scheme, and encouraged people to join the Affordable Ireland campaign protest on 28 February.
Government response and investment plans
A government respondent argued the digital economy will require data centres and defended their role in creating technology jobs, citing large employers in cities. The minister also detailed planned investments - up to €18 billion in PR6 to increase grid capacity, additional interconnectors, and renewed grid connections with the continent and the United Kingdom - and noted that renewables can provide sizable shares of generation, sometimes around 50% on some days.
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Thanks, Chair. The energy transition isn't happening, is it? I mean, 80% of our energy is coming from fossil fuels. And it's not because ordinary people aren't making efforts to make changes in their lives, to put on solar panels, to retrofit their houses and so on. The central reason is that data centre usage of electricity has ballooned by more than 400% in the last 10 years. And it's in a trajectory to keep rising even faster. So even though renewable capacity is being added to the grid, all of that is being swallowed up by big tech. And that isn't just a problem for our climate. It's causing ordinary people's bills to go higher and higher and higher. It's adding to the cost of living crisis. People's electricity bills this year will be 10% higher than they were last year. There's almost 300,000 people in arrears on their electricity bills. All of that to satisfy the big tech corporations. It's time to stop. It's time to listen to the likes of the friends of the earth, to give an energy guarantee scheme. And it's time for people to be on the streets on the 28th of February with the Affordable Ireland campaign. The question of Deputy Murphy, you know, again, great, great, great soundbites. You know, government is sort of swallowed up by big tech. We're doing this with big tech. Doing what? You know, the modern, whether you like it or not, the digital economy will require data centers into the future. Don't know how you're going to do it otherwise. Equally, I would say to you is when you just casually talk about big tech, they do imply that. And that's not why we're doing what we're doing, by the way. Our fundamental agenda is always to support workers, to support good quality jobs in this country. Now, you dismiss it all of the time. You really couldn't care less about how many thousands of people are working in technology companies in this country. In my own city of Cork, Apple employs 6,000 people. So you kind of dismissing them as big tech? Yes, you are. Swallowed up, I do not know it. You deliberately, disingenuously go on, oh, you're doing it for big tech. 6,000 in one company alone in the city of Cork. Thousands employed all over the country in technology companies. I'm not talking about that. But sorry, a lot of those companies, it's not, you cannot dissociate or segregate all of that. You cannot do that. And then the AI is next on the agenda. And we cannot miss out on, we have to manage it, we have to harness it, we have to develop it, we are. We're investing up to 18 billion in PR6 to increase grid capacity. We're investing on interconnectors as well. And we are seeking further grid connections with the continent as well as with the United Kingdom to try and support what we're doing. And the renewables are making a very sizable contribution. Sorry, some days can be 50% of electricity generation in this country. And you know that too, but that's a figure that you'll never reference. And you know that.
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