EirGrid has identified an electricity shortfall of up to 700 MW over the coming winters. This equates to approximately 350,000 homes. This increase in electricity demand is primarily due to the increase in data centre demand. As a result, the Government has approved the procurement of 450 MW of energy electricity generation, which will cost the State €350 million. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, has also stated that this will mean an increase of €40 on an average domestic bill. That means that individual homes will now be paying at least €40 to keep those data centres going. It is clear that the Government’s failure to manage these energy-hungry data centres strategically will now hit hard-pressed families in their pocket.

The Government statement on the role of data centres in Ireland was promised in the first quarter of this year. That target was not met. It was promised for the second quarter of this year. There are seven days left in this quarter. Will the Tánaiste be publishing the Government statement on the role of data centres in advance of the Dáil debate on this issue next week?

Almost certainly not. I have not seen a draft yet, so it is probably not completed. However, we are committed to doing it. We will try to get it done in the next few weeks. It is evident to everyone that in Ireland we need more electricity. We need it for all the new homes being built, all the new business that are being established, all the electric cars that people are going to buy and for data centres in the future. The solution is more supply of electricity - ideally renewable electricity. That is the priority at the moment. My understanding is that investment into additional supply for the next year will mean that we will have enough energy and electricity to get through the next couple of winters. However, it will also be recouped, because anybody who uses electricity has to pay for it. That investment will be recouped.