Campaigners appeal Herbata Data Centre decision in Naas

Joint press release by Friends of the Earth & Friends of the Irish Environment

Environmental groups have launched an appeal against the decision to grant planning permission for a major new data centre in Naas, warning it would dramatically increase electricity demand based on fossil fuels and undermine Ireland’s climate commitments.

Friends of the Earth and Friends of the Irish Environment said the proposed Herbata Data Centre would more than triple electricity demand in County Kildare, with “profound consequences” for the national energy system, carbon budgets, and climate obligations.

In their joint appeal, the campaigners highlighted what they described as serious flaws in the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment. These included underestimated greenhouse gas emissions, contradictory emissions figures, and what they referred to as “false claims” of on-site energy generation. The groups also criticised the plan’s reliance on future technologies such as hydrogen, which they argue are not yet viable, and the absence of any proper assessment of the grid’s capacity to absorb the additional demand. The proposed Herbata development sets worrying precedent for the Kildare and Midlands region, where increasingly large data centres are seeking to expand, having maxed out the grid in Dublin. 

A legal opinion prepared by law firm FP Logue LLP was submitted alongside the appeal. It argues that the project is unlawful because it is not supported in the government’s current Climate Action Plans, and because the proposed mitigation measures—such as corporate power purchase agreements and hydrogen—are not part of government policy. The opinion also said the Environmental Impact Assessment contained “basic errors” and did not meet EU legal standards.

Tony Lowes, Director of Friends of the Irish Environment said:

“The Herbata Data Centre is a high-risk, high-emission project. It would swallow a disproportionate share of Ireland’s electricity carbon budget, stall renewable energy development, and lock the grid into greater fossil gas dependence.”

Jerry Mac Evilly, Campaigns Director in Friends of the Earth stated: 

"The proposal for more large data centres such as Herbata risks adding more fuel to the fire, increasing energy costs and undermining energy security. Ireland's planning system must align with climate law right now, not later, and that must mean rejecting applications which do not clearly set out measures to prevent further fossil fuel reliance."

Notes: 

• The appeal was submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála on 16 September 2025. The closing date for Observations is 13 October, 2025

• Full submission and legal note: https://tinyurl.com/3nxm8emv