Data centre · Fingal · 53.4055, -6.3711
Equinix Blanchardstown
operating Equinix Our classification · status
Why we say it's operating
- EPA P1168: on-site generators licensed and in use (Licensable Activity Commenced)
- Valuation list: property 10030476 rated as DATA CENTRE
- Planning FW20A/0087: completion certificate 2022-11-23
What's next on this site
- under construction: Planning FW21A/0073: commencement notice 2026-03-16, no completion certificate
- permitted: Planning FW21A/0176: unstarted (live permission, no commencement notice) (expires 2027-03-30)
Who runs it
- EPA licensee 'Equinix Hyperscale 1 (DB5) Limited' -> Equinix (operator SPV; high-confidence entity link from CRO, EPA)
- planning applicant
- planning applicant 'Equinix (Ireland) Limited'
- planning applicant 'Equinix Hyperscale 1 (DB5) Limited' -> Equinix (operator SPV; high-confidence entity link from CRO, EPA)
- some records attributed by co-location only (no operator in their own source)
Generators and power
| EPA licence | Status | Role | MWth | Plant | Permitted hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1168 | Licensed · Licensable Activity Commenced | primary-gas | 167.76 | 9 x 18.64 MWth dual-fuel (gas / gas oil) turbine generators | Continuous up to Q4 2023; then grid-outage standby plus up to 500 h/yr islanded under EirGrid flex contract |
What the annual environmental reports say
| Year | Licence | Grid MW avg | On-site fuel GJ | Full-load hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | P1168 | 3.6 | 10,944 | 18.1 |
| 2024 | P1168 | 9.6 | 515,101 | 852.9 |
| 2025 | P1168 | 18.5 | 6,731 | 11.1 |
* part year. Full-load hours = fuel burned ÷ the whole fleet at full load, a derived figure.
What the planning and licence documents say
DB5/DB6 campus (three data hall buildings) under EPA licence P1168-01; gas-turbine plant was prime power in 2024 pending full MIC and has been standby/flex only since; water and renewables from the 2025 AER.
| Spec | Value | Quote and source |
|---|---|---|
| Connection terms | flexible (EirGrid flex contract: may be told to island) | "After year two, the power plant will only operate as required under the Flex Contract with the utility operator" EPA P1168-01: Inspectors Report, p.1 Ran generators as prime power Feb-Nov 2024 awaiting full MIC; an extra 15 MW MIC arrived Nov 2024 (2024 AER). |
| On-site generation | dual-fuel gas turbine generators (backup and flex-contract island mode; prime power until full MIC) | "nine (each with a capacity of 18.64 MWth) dual fuel (gas & gas oil) turbine generators" EPA P1168-01: Inspectors Report, p.1 |
| Generating units | 9 units | "nine (each with a capacity of 18.64 MWth) dual fuel (gas & gas oil) turbine generators" EPA P1168-01: Inspectors Report, p.1 |
| On-site thermal input | 167.8 MWth (derived) | "9 no. dual fuel turbine generators with a rated thermal input of 18.64 MWth when fired on natural gas" EPA P1168-01: Inspectors Report, p.5 Derived: 9 x 18.64 MWth (gas firing); 18.54 MWth each on gas oil. |
| Fuel | natural gas (high-pressure mains, primary); gas oil secondary | "Mains high pressure gas is the primary fuel source for all generators." EPA P1168-01: 2025 AER - Equinix DB5x P1168-01 .pdf, p.9 |
| Running hours | up to 500 h/yr island mode under the flex contract, plus grid-outage backup | "operate in Island mode under the flex contract (up to 500 hours per year)" EPA P1168-01: Inspectors Report, p.2 |
| Cooling | evaporative: closed-loop chilled water with 13 cooling towers plus chillers | "a closed loop chilled water system utilising 13 no. cooling towers and chillers when required to cool the data halls" EPA P1168-01: Inspectors Report, p.4 |
| Water | 1,094 m3/day (derived) | "Total Water Used 399153 286% Increase" EPA P1168-01: 2025 AER - Equinix DB5x P1168-01 .pdf, p.17 Derived: 399,153 m3 in 2025 / 365 (398,058 public supply + 1,095 recycled). |
| Data halls | 3 buildings | "The data centre campus will comprise three data hall buildings" EPA P1168-01: Inspectors Report, p.2 Count of data hall buildings; halls per building not stated. |
| Heat reuse | heat export to IDA industrial estate approved (target Dec 2026) | "Participation in the Heat Export Project has been approved by Equinix Global." EPA P1168-01: 2025 AER - Equinix DB5x P1168-01 .pdf, p.13 |
| Renewables | 100% REGO-matched renewable supply; rooftop solar in service 2025 (217 GJ) | "100% of the mains electricity purchased by DB5x is generated by renewable energy assets matched to Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin" EPA P1168-01: 2025 AER - Equinix DB5x P1168-01 .pdf, p.16 |
Every value is quoted from the document and page cited; the quote was checked against that page's text. "Derived" means the reader worked it out from stated figures (shown in the quote). Planning and licence figures are design or permitted values, not measured use; values derived from an EPA annual environmental report (AER), mostly water, are reported use for that year. The note under each quote gives the scope and whether a demand figure is a maximum or an average.
Planning history
| Received | Ref | What | Decision | Built? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-04-26 | FW21A/0073 | The development will consist of revisions to parent permission FCC Reg. Ref. FW20A/0087 to include the following: Alterations to plant areas at second/third floor level of the permitted DB5x data hall | GRANT PERMISSION | commenced (no completion certificate on a main building yet) |
| 2020-09-16 | FW20A/0087 | Construction of 3 no. data hall buildings with ancillary offices, staff areas, front and back of house areas, entrance lobbies, toilets, storage, associated plant throughout, photovoltaic panels and s | GRANT PERMISSION | completed (completion certificate) |
Sources for this page
osm:way/1003253891 · osm:way/1003253890 · osm:way/1339609875 · epa:P1168 · valuation:10030476 · planning:FINGAL/FW20A/0087 · planning:FINGAL/FW21A/0073 · planning:FINGAL/FW17A/0205 · planning:FINGAL/FW21A/0176
Joined from OpenStreetMap, the planning register, An Coimisiún Pleanála, EPA licences and annual reports, the Tailte Éireann valuation list and Building Control. Data built 2026-10-10.