Mayo families 'subsidising data centre boom' as power prices surge by 11.8%

Ordinary families are subsidising Ireland's data centre boom while getting nothing in return, a councillor has claimed, as electricity prices rose 11.8 per cent in the past year.

Councillor Harry Barrett told Mayo County Council's environment strategic policy committee that ESB and EirGrid were "on the wrong track," with standing charges alone adding €300 to household bills and record levels of disconnections nationally.

Councillor Barrett said data centres already account for 24 to 25 per cent of national electricity demand, according to figures given by EirGrid at the meeting, and that this demand is projected to exceed that of all Irish households combined by 2030.

He said the European Union had described Ireland's approach to powering data centres as "a cautionary tale" of what not to do, calling them the most polluting entity ever to come to the country.

"You are chasing crazy demand," Councillor Barrett said, calling on the government to put the cost of any new electricity supply onto tech companies such as Google, Meta and Amazon rather than "ordinary working families."

EirGrid confirmed it does not control the number of data centres permitted to connect to the grid, and that decisions are governed by Government policy.

New rules from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities now require large energy users to generate or procure 80 per cent of their own demand from local renewable sources before connecting, which has created a backlog of applications.

Barrett said the benefit to communities living near renewable infrastructure remains minimal, with the community gain fund worth just €2 per megawatt.

"Having a windfarm next door means nothing," he said. "It doesn't help take a cent off your ESB bill."

Committee chair Councillor Gerry Murray said Mayo residents were being asked to absorb costs while private utilities profited, and called for the State to take back direct control of energy infrastructure.

* Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.