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Data centre · Fingal · 53.4116, -6.3195

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Microsoft Huntstown

under construction Microsoft (operator medium confidence) Our classification · status

150 MW
Stated maximum demand
planning documents · a ceiling, not use
3.6 ha
Building footprint mapped
1 buildings · OSM

Not available for this site: measured grid draw (no EPA annual report: only sites with ≥50 MWth of plant file one); rates (no valuation-list entry matched).

Why we say it's under construction

  • Planning FW21A/0151: commencement notice 2025-10-17, no completion certificate
  • 1 building(s) mapped in OSM but no completion certificate, EPA commencement or valuation entry yet

Who runs it

  • lifecycle: commencement notices name MSFT DUB40/41
  • some records attributed by co-location only (no operator in their own source)
Leaflet © OpenStreetMap contributors

What the planning and licence documents say

Proposed 2-building data centre (A and B) by Huntstown Power Co (Energia) beside Huntstown power station, end user Microsoft; ABP-313583-22, granted by the Board 2025 against inspector's refusal recommendation.

SpecValueQuote and source
Electrical demand150 MW"The 150MW maximum operational capacity is referenced as is the ramping up and the typical operating by data centres at 81% IT load." ACP 313583 inspector report, p.9
Worst-case maximum; equivalent to 1,310 GWh/yr (inspector's report p34).
Grid voltage220 kV"There is a concurrent application under ABP-311528-21 for the development of an 220kV substation and associated electrical infrastructure." ACP 313583 inspector report, p.5
Connection pointMooretown 220kV substation (separate SID application ABP-311528-21)"The proposed substation will be known as Mooretown Substation." ACP 313583 inspector report, p.5
Temporary substation also on site; Transmission Connection Agreement with EirGrid dated 8 March 2021.
On-site generationemergency (backup) diesel generators"diesel generators are used only in the case of emergency and routine testing" ACP 313583 inspector report, p.15
No on-site primary generation; siting next to Huntstown power station cited as avoiding the need for on-site gas plant.
Generating units58 units"external plant and 58 no. emergency generators in a generator yard east and west of buildings A and B" ACP 313583 inspector report, p.7
29 per data hall building.
Fueldiesel"diesel generators are used only in the case of emergency and routine testing" ACP 313583 inspector report, p.15
Running hoursno hours cap stated; >33 h/yr would breach air quality standards"running of the emergency generators for over 33 hours per annum will breach air quality standards" ACP 313583 inspector report, p.78
Inspector's assessment of applicant's EIAR, not a permit limit.
Coolingevaporative"The evaporative cooling design selected has due regard to the potential impacts on water consumption." ACP 313583 inspector report, p.38
Water13.3 m3/day (derived)"Process water supply from the proposed development has been estimated as 4,842.4 m3 per annum." ACP 313583 inspector report, p.38
derived: 4,842.4 m3/yr / 365 = 13.3 m3/day average process water; peak 56 l/s for ~24 h/yr.
Floor area75,294 m2 (derived)"buildings A and B are of gross floor area of 37,647 m² each" ACP 313583 inspector report, p.7
derived: 2 x 37,647 m2.
Phasing2 buildings (A, B); consumption ramps up over ~7 years"The stipulation that all of the offsetting renewables be in operation in advance discounts the ramp of energy consumption, which will take 7 years." ACP 313583 inspector report, p.37
Applicant's statement as summarised by the inspector.
Dates10-year permission from 2025 Board order"This permission shall be for a period of 10 years from the date of the Order" ACP 313583 Board order, p.11
Heat reusespace reserved for future district heating connection"Sufficient space has been reserved on site to accommodate pipework and other infrastructure to supply district heating in the future." ACP 313583 inspector report, p.12
RenewablesCPPAs with Energia; ~900 MW renewables pipeline committed to Microsoft; rooftop PV"Energia Group has approximately 900 MW of renewables in the pipeline which are committed to Microsoft." ACP 313583 inspector report, p.8
Two initial contracts totalling 74 MW advanced; 634 MW MEC solar within 35 km (addendum p8-9).

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

ReceivedRefWhatDecisionBuilt?
2022-02-24FW21A/0151
Demolition of 2 no. existing residential dwellings and construction of 2 no. data hall buildings. EIAR submitted with application
GRANT PERMISSIONcommenced (no completion certificate on a main building yet)
Appeal 313564 (FW21A/0151) · invalid, 2022-05-12
Appeal 313583 (FW21A/0151) · grant, 2025-03-21 · 150 MW stated
Grid: 220 kV · Transmission Connection Agreement received from EirGrid
Issues: Government Statement 2022 / constrained Dublin grid · renewables additionality (CPPAs, temporal matching) · Climate Action Plan demand flexibility · HI heavy-industry zoning · 450,000 t CO2e/yr (~0.82% national)
Board: Inspector recommended refusal twice (Mar 2023, addendum Nov 2024). Board granted, citing the connection agreement, CPPA with Microsoft, and demand-management ability.
"requiring 150 MW or 1,310GWh of electricity annually" p.34
"in times of supply constraints when the on-site power would have been triggered the data centre will instead rely on the emergency generators" p.50

Sources for this page

osm:way/1460367741 · planning:FINGAL/FW21A/0151 · acp:313564 · acp:313583

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.

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