Galway Bay fm newsroom – Energy usage and Apple’s claims that it will use 100% renewable energy have dominated day one of the oral hearing on the technology giant’s planned data centre in Athenry.
Up to 100 people gathered at the Connacht Hotel in the city for the hearing today.
The proceedings are being overseen by An Bord Pleanala inspector Stephen Kay, and is dealing with the permission for the data centre itself, and a separate application for a 220kv electricity substation at the same site.
The county council granted planning permission for an Apple data centre at Palmerstown, Tobberroe and Derrydonnell last September.
However, this decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála by 8 individuals or groups, while a further 20 have made observations on the planned development.
A number of concerns have been raised about the environmental impact of the project – including a possible increase in flooding, loss of amenity space, and its impact on local flora and fauna.
However, today’s proceedings have been dominated by discussions on energy usage, and Apple’s claim that the Athenry facility will be run on 100% renewable energy.
Some appellants accused the technology giant of ‘misrepresentation’ in relation to its claims that it would use renewables for the Athenry facility.
However, in a statement to the hearing this evening, Apple’s renewable energy expert Frederick Freeman disputed this.
He says all of Apple’s data centres around the world have been operating using 100% renewable energy since 2013 – and Athenry will be no different.
Mr Freeman says Apple takes a three-tier approach to ensuring this – through maximum energy efficiency, generation of its own renewable energy, and purchasing energy from renewable sources which supply the national grid.
He says to this end, Apple has put significant investment into wave energy research off the west coast of Ireland.
However, concerns remain over the massive amount of energy which will be required to run the data centre, and if it’s realistic that the company will be able to run it from 100% renewable sources.
One appellant has this afternoon claimed that at domestic prices, the data centre would use almost 300 million euro worth of electricity every year.
There are fears that this demand on the national grid could lead to an increase in costs for domestic consumers.
In the coming days, the hearing will deal with three main topics, based on the main points raised in the written submissions on the development – energy and climate change impacts – which got underway today – site selection and location of the centre, and ‘other issues.’ The hearing has finished for the evening, and will resume at 10am tomorrow.
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