Amazon Web Services faces fresh delay over plans for three data centres in north Dublin
The letter seeking clarification comes more than 18 months after Fingal County Council's decision to grant planning for the three new data-centre buildings was appealed to the board.
The board has now told Amazon Web Services that the information is necessary for the purpose of enabling it to determine the appeal.
AWS has massively ramped up data-centre spending across Europe
In the letter, the appeals board stated that it is seeking the applicant's response, in light of the publication of the Climate Action Plan in April 2025 and of another report, on Ireland's Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2023-2050, released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The reports were published after the preparation of an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) as part of the planning application.
As a result, the appeals board wants Amazon Web Services to re-affirm, or otherwise, findings in its original environmental assessment.
The data-centre campus – on a 65-acre site at Cruiserath Road, Dublin 15 – would have a combined power load of 73MW.
The appeals board has also told the applicants to provide evidence of capacity in the national grid to serve the development, and is seeking details of the energy provider who will connect the new buildings.
AWS has until May 29 to provide a response.
The letter comes more than 18 months after five third-party appeals lodged in relation to the proposed development with An Bord Pleanála in October 2023 contesting Fingal County Council's decision to grant planning for the three new data-centre buildings.
Universal Developers LLC first lodged plans two-and-a-half years ago, in December 2022.
The five parties who lodged appeals against the permission are Friends of the Earth, the Fingal One Future Group, Dr Colin Doyle, John Conway & Louth Environmental Group, and Mannix Coyne.
AWS has massively ramped up investment in data-centre infrastructure across Europe since last summer, in anticipation of a long-term increase in demand for cloud services as a result of the roll-out of generative AI – the data-hungry processes that are rapidly being adopted by industries of all kinds.
Since May, AWS has announced a combined €35bn of new investment in its European cloud infrastructure, mostly to build new data centres in Britain, Germany, Spain and France.
Ireland has so far missed out on that expansion.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
2 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Soaring grocery bills blamed on farmers as costs rise by 20%
Soaring grocery bills are being blamed on farmers as farm-gate prices rose by almost a fifth in the past 12 months, while their costs are up by less than 1%. However, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) said grocery price hikes are not down to them and are due to the EU reducing the amount of food that can be produced. Latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures show that the most significant price increases hit cattle, which are up almost 44%, while milk rose by 12%. But the cost of production for farmers has risen in areas such as fertiliser, which shot up by 10%, and veterinary expenses, up by almost 5%. Latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures show that the most significant price increases hit cattle. Pic: Shutterstock The recent grocery price analysis by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) sees two reasons why food prices are going up. It reiterates the IFA's belief that Ireland is an expensive place due to higher wages, geographic location and higher costs in construction, legal services and insurance. The other reason is that food producers, such as farmers, are increasing their margins. Tadhg Buckley of the IFA refuted the idea that farmers were to blame for the hike. He said: 'There is a lot of discussion on how food prices have increased over the past three years. The price of groceries in Ireland had grown by 27%, which is below the EU average of 35%. The crucial thing is we are the only country in the EU where the price of food did not increase between 2008 and 2023. The recent grocery price analysis by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) sees two reasons why food prices are going up. Pic: File 'Now we saw agricultural input prices increase substantially during the 2021-to-2023 period as well. What is driving the output price up is the lack of supply of agricultural produce across the EU.' For example, the number of cattle in Ireland has dropped by 218,000 in the period from 2023 to December 2024, according to CSO figures. Mr Buckley said: 'Farmers can't push up prices as they are at the bottom of the food chain. 'So if we are producing less, the price goes up. The output and input indices don't always move in tandem. In Ireland, we are seeing a significant increase in prices, so we have seen static food prices over the past 15 years, and now they are going up quite quickly over a short period of time. 'It's been going up everywhere [in Europe], but they [other countries] didn't get the same drop as we did [over that period of 15 years]. Farmers are not making a killing on price rises.' IFA president Francie Gorman pointed out that farmers are 'price takers'. Pic: Sasko Lazarov / © He explained that the core cause of this is EU policy, as it reduced agricultural output across all European countries, and 'we are now seeing the price of it'. He added: 'They [the EU] have stopped incentivising [production] and they have brought in an increased level of regulation, which has curtailed production, and now it's gone too far the other way and we are paying the price of it with less supply. It's classic supply and demand.' IFA president Francie Gorman pointed out that farmers are 'price takers'. He said: 'Wider society needs to wake up to the importance of food security. Young people are not returning to farming, and people are beginning to see the effects of falling output.' Michael Kilcoyne of the Consumers' Association of Ireland asked what the office of agri-food regulator An Rialálaí Agraibhia was doing to about the situation. He said: 'Either somebody is making a lot of money or somebody has got it wrong, it's one or the other. The food regulator was set up a couple of years ago, An Rialálaí Agraibhia, but there's nothing from him at all. 'It's time that the office clarified exactly what they're finding and whether they've started looking, whether they've started examining this, because this is a very serious issue.' The office of An Rialálaí Agraibhia and the CCPC were contacted for comment.
Irish Examiner
12 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Fifa consider holding Club World Cup every two years from 2029 – and expanding it to 48 teams
Fifa will consider holding the Club World Cup every two years from 2029 in a move that would put more pressure on the international calendar and trigger another backlash from the Premier League and Uefa. The next Club World Cup is due to take place in four years' time, following the first expanded 32-team tournament held in the US this summer, but the world governing body is under pressure from leading clubs to make it a biennial event. Real Madrid are understood to have raised the issue of moving to a two-year cycle during talks with Fifa in Miami in June, a proposal that has gained support from other clubs who failed to qualify for this year's tournament, including Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool and Napoli. Chelsea received £85m in prize money for winning the competition and other big European clubs want the opportunity to take advantage of Fifa's huge revenue streams, which are being funded largely by Saudi Arabia's Surj Sports Investments. Liverpool in particular were unfortunate not to take part this year, as they met one of the qualifying criteria by being among the top eight ranked clubs in Europe, but missed out as Fifa opted to admit a maximum of two sides from a country. Chelsea and Manchester City took the English slots as recent Champions League winners. There is an exception to the limit if more than two clubs from a country win their continental competition during the qualifying period, as was the case with Brazil this year. Fifa sources said that while there is no serious consideration being given to staging the Club World Cup in 2027, the situation is likely to change after 2029, with the prospect of another tournament being held in 2031 to be explored. Fifa's hands are tied in the short-term as the international match calendar is fixed until 2030, with only the 2029 Club World Cup in the schedule, as part of a memorandum of understanding signed between Fifa and the European Clubs Association two years ago. With Fifa already facing legal action from World Leagues, an international lobby group that includes the Premier League, there is no appetite to inflame it further by ripping up the current schedule. World Leagues has filed a legal complaint to the European Commission with support from the global players' union Fifpro, accusing Fifa of 'abuse of dominance' for allegedly failing to consult them over the scheduling of the Club World Cup. Staging the new competition every two years would increase tensions still further, but there is an acknowledgement on both sides that the entire global calendar after 2030 is open for negotiation. As part of a quid pro quo for moving into the club game, sources have indicated that Fifa may be willing to remove the June international break to ease player workloads and create space for events such as the Club World Cup, although that would be opposed by Uefa, which uses summer dates to stage the finals of its Nations League competition. In a pre-season address last week the Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, outlined his concerns with expanding the Club World Cup, although the biggest top-flight clubs appear to disagree. 'Fifa was put on earth really to regulate the global game and to run international football, and the Club World Cup is a move into club football,' Masters said. 'The leagues and the players have not been consulted at all on the timing and scheduling of the competition, and I think whatever iteration of it may come next, we do need to be consulted on that. 'Obviously, it does have an impact on the scheduling of the Premier League season, that much is clear. We're asking for a seat at the table, a proper discussion for the leagues.' Fifa is the process of reviewing the qualifying criteria for the 2029 Club World Cup and may lift the cap of two clubs per country, and as previously reported by the Guardian it is consulting on whether to increase the number of teams involved from 32 to 48. The men's World Cup next year and the 2031 Women's World Cup will involve 48 teams for the first time, so expanding the Club World Cup would be consistent with Fifa's tournament model. Having awarded hosting rights to this year's competition to the US without inviting tenders, Fifa is planning to run formal bidding process for future tournaments. Qatar, Spain and Morocco have all expressed interest in staging the 2029 Club World Cup, with details of the tender process expected later this year. The Guardian
Agriland
a day ago
- Agriland
Building a market for Irish food and drink exports in China
In this article, we meet with Suki Wu, who is the China Market Specialist in Bord Bia's Shanghai office to discover more about Irish food and drink exports to China. I'm the China Market Specialist in Bord Bia's Shanghai office. My main focus is on promoting and growing Irish dairy exports in the Chinese market. Along with London, the Shanghai office is Bord Bia's largest outside Dublin. Being based here on the ground is really important. China has a massive influence on global food and drink markets because of the sheer volume it imports. Having a strong team in-market means we can better understand trade dynamics in real-time, identify opportunities, and support Irish clients in navigating the nuances of Chinese business culture. Chinese buyers attending an Irish dairy seminar during a 2024 Government-led Trade Mission. Source: Bord Bia Ireland exports a wide range of food and drink to China, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Our key exports include dairy, meat (especially pigmeat), seafood, drinks, and prepared consumer products. Ireland is China's fifth largest supplier of infant formula. For pigmeat, China is Ireland second biggest pigmeat export market. From January to May this year, Irish food and drink exports to China reached €232 million - a 2% increase compared to the same period last year. Growth came mainly from pigmeat, seafood, and dairy ingredients like casein and whey. Pigmeat imports rose early in the year thanks to Chinese New Year celebrations, early stockpiling by processors, and new tariffs on US and Canadian products that opened more space for European suppliers. In dairy, demand for protein ingredients is strong across many consumer groups, including the elderly, who are looking for functional nutrition. Irish beef exports are currently suspended, but hopefully this will be resolved and lead to sustained growth in beef exports. Geopolitical tensions and shifts in trade relationships can lead to tariff changes or new import policies, making long-term planning more difficult and adding costs. China is also investing heavily in its domestic food production, aiming for more self-sufficiency, which can reduce demand for imports. On top of that, changing consumer preferences within China are influencing how and what products people buy. One of the biggest challenges in promoting Irish products in China is our geographical distance. This means there is an ongoing need to explain not just what Ireland offers, but where and who we are. The dairy sector has led the way here, investing heavily in campaigns that not only promote their own products, but also raise awareness of Ireland itself. Altogether, these factors create a more complex environment for growing Irish exports. Shanghai Yes, there are still strong opportunities. In the second half of 2025, we're expecting continued growth in demand for health supplements and functional food and drinks, especially products like whey protein concentrate. There's also rising demand from restaurant chains for frozen pork, particularly for use in pre-made meals and further processing. During major holidays like Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day, and Spring Festival, processors will increase their pork purchases to produce items like sausages, preserved pork, and canned foods. That said, total pork imports in the second half of the year may slow slightly compared to earlier in the year. There have been many moments I'm proud of, especially the wide-ranging work we've done to promote Irish dairy here. But one standout would be how we responded to the challenges in the infant formula sector since 2018. At that time, the import market was shrinking due to declining birth rates and a consumer shift toward local Chinese brands. Rather than stepping back, we used the moment to reassess and identify new opportunities. That led us to specialised nutrition - dairy products formulated for specific nutritional needs such as elder or sports nutrition. This is an area where Irish dairy can really add value. I'm proud to have been involved, working closely with industry to refocus our strategy, align with emerging trends, and create a new space for Ireland in the market.
