Richard Boyd Barrett warns data centres drain water, threaten housing

The central bank in its quarterly report has issued another damning indictment of the catastrophic failure of government housing policy, but one aspect of it that relates to this subcommittee is how they say deficits in water infrastructure are now a major impediment to us delivering the amount of housing that is necessary to address the housing crisis. Now I wonder, Taoiseach, is there joined up thinking going on in terms of what the enormous amount of water usage taken up by data centres and the proliferation of data centres? We already know they use up 20% of our electricity, they are driving up energy costs for ordinary householders, but what about water usage? The Incloney Meta's data centre, one data centre, uses 2.5 million litres of water per day. That is the same amount of water usage as the entire city of Athlone, with 21,000 people. We have 82 data centres in this country, so you do the maths, we have 18 more on the way. If the lack of water is now a major impediment to actually putting roofs over the heads of people affected by the housing crisis, how on earth are we continuing to allow data centres that are sucking up vast amounts of the inadequate water resources available to us to go into these data centres to make profits for a tiny number of companies? Are you looking at their water usage and the extent to which it is now actually an obstacle to us having the water necessary to fill the homes we need to address the housing crisis? In terms of the Board of Pitcher, the humanitarian assistance scheme, it is not closed yet, is my understanding. It is not closed yet, is my understanding. I think it has been extended. I spoke with the Minister this morning about that, but I can clarify that for you. But that is the position as I understand it, and the Minister is evaluating the applications that have come in. The scheme is laid on regulations, so it is not moving and the goalposts aren't shifting. It is actually regulated for the existing scheme now. The programme for government has identified the need for a more comprehensive bespoke scheme to deal with events of the kind of storm E.O. Deputy Moynihan, I would agree fully in terms of the need in terms of energy. The more fundamental issue is, the agenda is, by the way, for all deputies is to get to 80% renewables in electricity generation by 2030. That objective has not changed. That is Deputy Moynihan, Deputy Patrick, Deputy Murphy and Deputy Boyd Barrett. The suggestion is that we have torn up the climate, but we haven't, or the Climate Act. I do believe, though, that Deputy Moynihan's point is very valid. Because if I am listening to others in the house, it is goodbye to the economy territory, essentially. Because I was, you know, when I go to the U.S. and other places, you meet people like Hanley Energy, for example, whose technology is in every data centre in the world, and to imply 800 people, 400 in America and 400 here, but our technology is all about reducing energy and doing its level best to moderate energy output of data centres and so on. When you combine that with the AI revolution, and we have had an essential moratorium by the end of the last three or four years on data centres. Essentially, we have had. Now, if the deputies opposite are suggesting we go another five years with a data centre moratorium, we have a real problem with our economy. And I think the deputies opposite, Deputy Patrick Murphy and others, should start thinking very quickly now in terms of how they see the economy evolving, and dispense with all the sound bites and get down to the substance of what happens. Do we think we can just park ourselves to the side of the road while there is massive, profound changes according to technology, and just think in five or six years' time we can pick it all up again? We will not be able to do that. Through the chair, we have a huge challenge in terms of competitiveness. How do you match the AI revolution and the extraordinary energy it consumes with our challenges between now and 2030? Because the hope is that we do get, and there are two auctions that have been successfully done in terms of wind energy, to Deputy Brendan's point. Notwithstanding the change, we had to set up MARA in the last government. We had to set up a whole new infrastructure to deal with offshore wind energy and maritime planning. We have done that now. It needs to move fast. Two auctions have gone off the ground. I think there is a very good chance that they will be there, hopefully in production, by 2030, 2030. We do not need any objections to those offshore wind farms. Because wind is the only option for Ireland in the context of the existential climate change that we face. But there will be a need for a transition fuel. And that transition fuel will be gas. And there is no point in pretending otherwise. It will be there. It will be needed. And we need reality to come true. And when I say, you know, when I talk to people, you know, and I think the debate in here is just miles away from reality. There is no attempt at all to try and deal with the issues and the interdependent issues. And, yes, the challenges that come with it. But it is just demonised data centres. If you demonise data centres, every day-to-day usage that people use, their phones, their mobile phones, anything, comes to naught. I mean, that is the reality. It is fundamentally the reality. And in my view, you are fundamentally wrong in terms of what you are putting forward. Deputy, and again, Deputy Brennan raised regulatory hurdles and so on. We are doing everything possible to get offshore wind through as quickly as we possibly can. And that will mean transposition more EU directives in terms of the, there is a clause within EU directive, which when all else fails, the overriding public interest clause, which should be invoked, in my view, in terms of offshore wind, because it is the most fundamental way this country can deal with climate. Absolutely. And renewables. Solar panels. Solar is moving fast now in Ireland, and I think can progress even further. Battery storage. Fair point. Deputy, although in the Midlands, there are some developments on that one has happened. Other countries are using battery storage. You take Texas. It is not all oil in Texas. They will use wind. They will use nuclear. They will use battery storage and solar as well. They are going to use all of them. We are not as, we have, wind is our key ingredient. And the, I think, Deputy Batschik, again, when the independent planning board on board Planoa makes a decision, if the government even dared intervene in a decision that would suit you and you would appreciate the outcome, you would cry foul of government. I am stunned today, twice now it has happened two or three times. The board of Planoa decision in respect of North Kerry is referenced, and then very quickly conflated as if the government did it. That is the impression you are giving. That is the impression all of you have given. No, sorry, you are giving the impression that an independent board of the board Planoa made a decision as if it was government policy. And that is a false assertion to confuse people, to cloud it, because all you want to do is make the assertion that the government is rowing back on climate. That is all you want to do. And you would use any instrument to do that. And it is a fundamentally dishonest political position to adopt. You either agree with the independence of board Planoa or you don't. And now I am being asked to intervene in board Planoa. I am being asked to intervene now in board Planoa by Deputy Batschik, I think. No, I am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am. And this is what is wrong with the country. We do not accept the independent bodies that are established. We should. Because otherwise, would there be JRs, judicial reviews, and then we ask why we cannot deliver infrastructure and get things moving in the country? It is because you are pandering all the time. And you are not really interested in terms of economic development. And I agree with Deputy... Sorry. That is correct.