Big Tech first, families last: Ireland’s energy system under fire this Earth Day

Today, Earth Day 2026, Friends of the Earth joins protest outside the Dail calling for an end to fossil fuel dependency and says all eyes are on Ireland’s National Energy System.

As the Government pushes through legislation to privatise the electricity grid, with a report on the Private Wires Bill due to be adopted by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Environment and Energy today, Ireland’s households remain at the back of the queue when it comes to energy affordability. 

The Government’s enthusiasm for expanding data centres has drifted far from the everyday reality of people in Ireland. While Big Tech is prioritised, driving an increase in fossil fuel demand in Ireland, ordinary households are stuck footing higher bills in a deeply unfair energy system. 

Commenting today, Rosi Leonard, Data Centre Campaign Lead for Friends of the Earth Ireland, said, 

Households across Ireland are paying almost twice as much for electricity as energy-intensive industries such as Data Centres, propping up the soaring consumption of Big Tech while families struggle to keep up with rising cost of living. The biggest demand on our electricity system right now is from data centres and this Government is giving them first dibs on our electricity rather than protecting businesses and families in this energy crisis. The Private Wires Bill should be paused while we determine the exact impact on climate targets and carbon budgets. 

This Government Bill reinforces why we need a moratorium on data centres now so we can get back to building a fair and resilient energy system.

Meanwhile, speaking ahead of the Earth Day Protest against fossil fuels outside Leinster House which will include speakers from across opposition parties and civil society, Deirdre Duffy, CEO of Friends of the Earth added, 

The Iran war has triggered a global surge in demand for renewables such as EVs, solar panels and heat pumps. As countries respond to fossil fuel volatility, homegrown clean energy is increasingly recognised as the only real route to energy security, lower bills and greater resilience. Rather than laying out the welcome mat for fossil fuel dependent industries like data centres, the Irish Government should be launching an emergency “Warm Homes Before Winter” drive and a new social energy tariff to protect households most at risk such as older people, people with disabilities, lone parent families and renters. Instead it is subsidising fossil fuel companies and their shareholders for short term gain, leaving households across Ireland to pay the price.

Notes:

The Private Wires Bill is available here https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-climate-energy-and-the-environment/publications/private-wires-bill-2025-general-scheme-and-regulatory-impact-analysis/.

It is expected that the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Environment and Energy will adopt its Pre-Legislative Scrutiny Report on the Private Wires Bill today. 

Friends of the Earth materials on the Bill are available here: 

• Who gets the Power? Explainer on the Bill https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/news/who-gets-the-power-private-wires-and-irelands-unequal-energy/ 

• Submission on the Bill https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/news/what-the-proposed-private-wires-bill-means-for-our-energy-sy/. 

Earth Day protest will take place outside Leinster House at Kildare Street at 5.30pm.