Google Ireland has suffered a setback to its plans to add a third data hub at a south Dublin business park after the local council refused its application due to concerns over the capacity of the local electricity network.
The tech giant submitted plans for a 72,400-square-metre (circa 780,000-square-foot) data storage facility at Grange Castle Business Park earlier this summer, with the scheme housing data halls, offices, staff facilities and a loading area.
It was planned to be the firm's third facility at the business park, after the company spent circa €500 million (£421 million) to build and operate two existing centres at the wider park, which sits around 13 kilometres southwest of the heart of the city.
But South Dublin County Council has stopped Google in its tracks after refusing its application over concerns involving the schemes electricity usage and a lack of "significant on-site renewable energy" to power the building.
A document published on the council's planning page makes reference to a "lack of clarity" around Google's engagement with power purchase agreements in Ireland. These are long-term renewable energy contracts between suppliers and customers.
Planning officers also highlighted the application's "lack of detail of how the proposal will impact power supply" once its operational, previously expected for 2027, and insufficient information around how the site would connect to the local district heating network.
The Irish Times reports that the refusal of a third Google facility in the city comes amid a growing backlash against data hubs due to the amount of energy they use when the country is trying to cut its carbon emissions.
It quotes a Central Statistics Office study published in July which found that data hubs used around a fifth (21%) of all electricity generated last year, compared to just 5% in 2015. That figure is expected to reach 27% by 2028.
Google's data centres website says its operations in Dublin were built due to the city having the "right combination of energy infrastructure, developable land," and available workforce. It adds that the country's cooler weather also means that it can build facilities without the need for "power-hungry" air conditioning units.
Grange Castle Business Park has expanded over the years to host several data hubs linked to other big-name tech companies, such as CyrusOne, Digital Realty, Equinix, Amazon and Microsoft.