28 civil society organisations and trade unions call for moratorium on new data centre connections

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In an open letter sent to Minister Darragh O'Brien, today 5 March 2026, 28 civil society organisations, communities and trade unions have called on the Government to halt a series of policy decisions that they say could hand greater control of Ireland’s electricity infrastructure and renewable energy resources to the tech industry.

Campaigners have accused the Government of enabling a “Big Tech power grab” over Ireland’s energy system, saying proposed policies allowing private electricity networks for data centres, could shift resources away from the public grid and deepen the influence of the tech industry over Ireland’s energy infrastructure.

Data centres already account for at least 23% of Ireland’s electricity demand, with projections from EirGrid suggesting the share could reach 27% in 2025, more than any other sector of the economy.

The groups say the Government’s proposed Private Wires legislation, its Large Energy Users Action Plan, and new grid connection rules introduced by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities could accelerate the expansion of data centres while shifting the environmental and financial costs onto households and communities.

Several public bodies have previously raised concerns about the scale of data centre expansion, including the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, the Climate Change Advisory Council, and the National Economic and Social Council.

Rosi Leonard, Data Centres Campaign Lead at Friends of the Earth Ireland said:

Ireland’s energy system should power homes and communities, not the expansion of multinational tech companies. Current policies risk handing huge amounts of renewable energy and infrastructure to one industry while households face rising costs and communities face the environmental impacts.

She warned that the Government’s proposed Private Wires legislation would allow data centres to build private electricity networks connecting directly to power sources while still retaining access to the public grid.

This would allow large corporations to divert renewable energy away from the public system, reduce the network charges they pay and hoard electricity capacity.

The letter also raises concerns about plans to develop “green energy parks” on state and semi-state land to supply power to data centres, warning that these projects could allow multinational tech companies to capture large volumes of Ireland’s renewable energy capacity while placing additional strain on rural infrastructure, including housing.

Ms Leonard added: 

Communities and nature are already experiencing the impacts of rising demand from data centres, including pressure on electricity infrastructure, constraints on new housing connections, increased water demand and the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure such as gas plants and diesel generators to support data centre operations. We have to put the brakes on data centre expansion. We’re calling on the Government to prioritise the health and welfare of people and nature over the interests of the tech industry.

Jim Dullaghan, Chair of ICTU Energy & Natural Resources Committee, one of the signatories to the letter, added:

ICTU Energy & Natural Resources Committee fully supports the request to Minister O'Brien to have a moratorium on new Data Centres until the current new security of supply concerns are fully addressed and to prevent the proposed new legislation for Private Wires providing a back door for connection of new Data Centres while these issues remain unresolved.' 

The 28-strong group says a fairer, cleaner and more affordable energy system is possible but requires energy policy to prioritise households, climate commitments and the public good rather than the expansion of energy-intensive tech infrastructure. 

To achieve this, the groups are calling for three immediate measures:

  • A moratorium on new data centre connections until the risks they pose to Ireland’s energy and water systems have been independently assessed.

  • Prioritisation criteria for electricity grid connections based on social need, ensuring essential services, housing and climate goals come first.

  • The scrapping of proposed Private Wires legislation, which could act as a back door for large-scale data centre expansion.

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Friends of the Earth Climate Change Energy
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Climate Justice Community Power Data Centres Energy