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Irish Times
02-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Amazon Web Services to build three data centres in north Dublin
Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to construct three new data centres in north Dublin that 'will have no significant impact on climate'. That is according to planning consultant, John Spain Associates, on behalf of AWS firm, Universal Developers LLC, which has secured planning permission from Fingal Co Council for three data centres on a 65 acre land-holding at Cruiserath Road, Dublin 15. The plans have been stalled however following five third-party appeals lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP). ACP has also asked the Amazon firm to clarify the scheme's impact on climate. Mr Spain said that 'the proposed development involves significant and effective measures to mitigate climate impact and the result is a development which will have no significant impact on climate'. He said that the scheme would 'also support the delivery of additional renewable energy in line with Government policy'. Mr Spain also enclosed a connection agreement between the AWS company and EirGrid which he says would provide sufficient power to serve the proposed development in its entirety. The enclosed connection documentation running to 189 pages is mainly redacted for commercial sensitivity reasons. The agreement was reached in 2017 and modified in February of this year. Mr Spain told ACP that the connection agreement with EirGrid and the AWS firm covered already permitted and potential future phases at Cruiserath Road. Universal Developers LLC first lodged plans for the data centres more than two-and-a half-years ago in December 2022. The five third parties who lodged appeals against the grant of planning permission issued by Fingal Co Council are Friends of the Earth, the Fingal One Future Group, Dr Colin Doyle, John Conway and Louth Environmental Group and Mannix Coyne. On the impact on greenhouse gas emissions, Mr Spain said that the proposed development would not contribute to any exceedance of the sectoral emission ceiling for the electricity sector. In a report for AWS, environmental consultants AWN Consulting said that the estimated greenhouse gas emissions for the permitted development range from 213,840 tonnes of carbon dioxide this year to 132,164 tonnes in 2030 which would then equate to 4.4 per cent of the Electricity Sector Emission ceiling. The consultants said that the greenhouse gas emissions for the overall data campus project at Cruiserath would be 262,535 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2030 which would equate to 8.8 per cent of the 2030 Electoral Sectoral emission ceiling. AWN Consulting said that the assessment of the proposed development and overall project had taken into account the relevant national and sectoral adaptation plans and the environmental assessment process 'has ensured that the proposed development and overall project is climate proofed'.
Irish Times
01-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Sales at Amazon Web Services Irish unit top €7bn
Revenues at the Irish web services arm of Amazon soared by €1 billion, or 16.5 per cent, to €7.09 billion last year. New accounts show that pretax profits at data centre firm, Amazon Data Ireland Services Ltd (ADSIL) increased by 23 per cent from €15.16 million to €22.96 million on the back of the soaring revenues in the 12 months to the end of December last. Currently, Amazon web services firm, Universal Developers LLC has plans before An Bord PleanalAn Bord Pleanálaned data centres with a combined power load of 73MW for the AWS data centre campus on a 65 acre land-holding at Cruiserath Road, Dublin 15. Tlandholding for ADSIL state that the company operates several data hub facilities and at the end of last year employed 1,682. READ MORE The company recorded comparatively low operating profits of €57.04 million after its total operating expenses amounted to €7.03 billion made up of €6.04 billion in administrative expenses and cost of sales of €997.23 million. The company recorded the pretax profit of €22.96 million after net interest payments of €50.18m off-set by a €16.1 million gain on the disposal of an asset are taken into account. Last year, Amazon in marking its 20 year anniversary in Ireland, revealed that its spend here since 2004 has amounted to more than €22 billion. Staff costs at ADSIL last year declined from €216.24 million to €196.93 million that included share based payments of €29.43 million and salaries of €146.32 million. The average number of employees in 2024 was 1,634. The company's spend on 'utilities' declined from €612.1 million to €595.8 million. The pay package for directors last year totalled €1.34 million that was made up of €451,000 in emoluments, €870,000 in shared based pay awards and €22,000 in pension contributions. Shareholder funds at the firm last year increased from €4.6 billion to €7.66 billion that arose mainly from the value of 'other reserve' increasing from €4.6 billion to €7.6 billion. The company last year recorded post tax profits of €3.1 million after incurring a corporation tax charge of €19.78 million. Revenues at another Amazon firm operating here, the Cork based Amazon CS Ireland Ltd (ACSI) - which operates a c–stomer service centre at Cork Airport Business Park – last year increased marginally from €298 million to €303.92 million. The company's administrative expenses totalled €311.44 million which was the main contributor to the company recorded a pretax loss of €11.17 million. The average numbers employed by the company last year dipped by 23 from 2,183 to 2,160. Staff costs decreased slightly from €136.16m to €135.3 million that included share based pay awards of €18.8 million. At the end of 2024, numbers employed had grown to 2,351.
Irish Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Amazon Web Services hit with fresh planning delay
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been hit with a fresh planning delay on its plans to construct three new data centres in north Dublin. An Bord Pleanála has written to AWS subsidiary Universal Developers LLC to clarify the impact of the three planned data centres in light of the publication of the Government's Climate Action Plan 2025. The AWS data centre campus is on a 65 acre landholding at Cruiserath Road, Dublin 15 and has a combined power load of 73MW for The appeals board told the applicants that it has examined the appeal and is of the opinion that more information is required. In the letter, the appeals board said that it was seeking the applicant's response to the recently published Government Climate Action Plan 2025 and the Environmental Protection Agency's assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from 2023 to 2050 and whether these reports would have any impact on the company's environmental impact assessment report lodged with its planning permission application. READ MORE The appeals board has also told the applicants that in order to demonstrate that the Transmission System Operator (TSO) is satisfied that there is sufficient capacity in the national grid to serve the development, it is required to provide a copy of the agreement with the TSO that clearly demonstrates that the applicant has agreed a fixed connection with the TSO for the specific data buildings. The board has given applicants, Universal Developers LLC until May 29th to provide a response. The letter from the appeals board comes more than 18 months after five third party appeals lodged with An Bord Pleanála in October 2023 contesting Fingal Co Council's decision to grant planning permission for the three new data centre buildings. The five were Friends of the Earth, the Fingal One Future Group, Dr Colin Doyle, John Conway and Louth Environmental Group and Mannix Coyne Universal Developers LLC first lodged plans for the data centre two-and-a-half years ago in December 2022.
