Paul Murphy demands TBES change over €10,000 data centre payouts
Paul Murphy challenged the Taoiseach over state support for data centres and called for the Temporary Business Energy Support (TBES) scheme to be amended. He said data centres are using vast amounts of electricity and should not receive public payments of 10,000 euros a month while people face energy poverty.
Main criticism
Paul Murphy raised a report that the Tánaiste reassured big tech companies the Government would continue to support additional data centres connecting to the Irish grid. He criticised the decision to allow data centres to receive 10,000 euros a month from the TBES scheme and called it obscene that public money would subsidise their large energy use.
Electricity use and household impact
Murphy said data centres combined now use more electricity than all rural homes in Ireland and are on track to use about a third of the country’s electricity by the end of the decade. He argued that this has driven up electricity prices for ordinary families and contributes to energy poverty.
Government defence of TBES
The Taoiseach responded that the TBES scheme must be broad to protect jobs and prevent businesses from going under. He described TBES as an emergency, temporary state aid framework under the auspices of the European Union intended to keep companies afloat and safeguard employment.
Ongoing debate and implications
Murphy insisted the TBES scheme needs amendment so data centres cannot claim the 10,000 euros monthly payments, framing the matter as a choice between subsidising wealthy corporations and protecting households. The exchange highlighted tensions between supporting jobs, managing energy demand from data centres, and addressing rising electricity costs and energy poverty.
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Thanks, Lasky and Córle. Teachta, it's emerged in the Sunday Business Post that in April the Tanaiste was reassuring the big tech companies that the Government will continue to support additional data centres being connected to the Irish grid. That's despite the fact that the data centres combined now use more electricity than all the rural homes in Ireland and that they're on track to use about a third of our electricity by the end of this decade. Is that why, Taoiseach, the Government has agreed to give 10,000 euros a month of public money to data centres through the TBES scheme? Which means that people who are suffering from energy poverty are going to be paying to subsidise the enormous energy consumption of data centres owned by some of the richest corporations on the planet. Is it not obscene that the data centres which have driven up electricity prices for ordinary families are now going to be subsidised by the state, by the public, 10,000 euros a month to continue to do so? Do you agree that the TBES scheme needs to be amended so that the data centres aren't able to get 10,000 euros a month paid for by the public? Sorry. Deputy Morphe, if I may, have we time to go? There's two or three others just with the agreement to the host. They deserve answers, yes. Deputy Morphe and the data centres. Again, I would say to you that TBES, we have to have a general scheme that catches as many people as we possibly can because we don't want to lose jobs. Now, on another day we can debate whether or not you think we should get rid of all data centres or whether there's a functional role for data centres in the digitalised economy. I would like and appreciate your perspective on that. But nonetheless, the TBES scheme, it's an emergency scheme, it's brought in as a temporary aid framework under the auspices of the European Union, a state aid temporary framework to make sure that companies don't go to the wall and that we can protect jobs. That's the motivation behind it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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