Latest, 12 October 2026: Appeal board grants Google's Grange Castle data-centre expansion, 735 days after the appeal. 7 items so far, 4 from Ireland, each linked to its source (An Coimisiún Pleanála case PL06S.320852, 23 September 2026). The scan watches 39 sources and learns which ones pay off.
An Coimisiún Pleanála granted Google Ireland Limited ten-year permission, with conditions, for a data storage facility at Grange Castle Business Park South, Dublin 22 (council ref. SD24A/0164W, case PL06S.320852). The order was signed on 23 September 2026; Google's appeal against South Dublin County Council's 2024 refusal was lodged on 18 September 2024. The Echo reports a 72,400 m² building with eight data halls, about 800 construction jobs and about 50 permanent jobs.
Finland's Licensing and Supervision Agency (LVV) ordered Tuike Finland, a company representing Google, to stop tree felling, excavation and other land-altering work at its Muhos and Kajaani sites until environmental impact assessments are done, by 23 October at the latest, and to explain its plans by 14 October, Euronews reported. The agency is examining whether hundreds of hectares were cleared without a mandatory assessment. Google said it had fallen short of its own standards and would follow the agency's guidance. The sites are part of a €13 billion Finnish investment Google announced in September 2025.
Waterford City and County Council is due to decide by 19 October 2026 on a 108.79-hectare scheme at the former cheese factory site in Kilmeaden (ref. 2560625): a village centre, technology park and renewable energy development, which WLR reported in 2025 includes a data centre and a 40 MW solar farm. The council requested further information in October 2025 and received it on 9 March 2026, according to the planning register. Residents opposed to the data centre planned a convoy protest into Waterford city on 10 October, according to the campaign outlet REBEL News.
Kildare County Council voted 11 in favour and 22 against, with 7 abstentions, on motions to review the 'P – Data Centre' zoning of land at Jigginstown/Maudlins, Naas, and to vary the county development plan, the Kildare Nationalist reported. The vote was on 28 September. Councillors who opposed the motions said the zoning had been through public consultation and that objections belong in the planning process.
The Oireachtas climate, environment and energy committee heard that renewable electricity added over the past decade has been cannibalised by data centres, in testimony including Trócaire's Sinéad Loughran, the Irish Examiner reported on 7 October. The SEAI projects Ireland will overshoot its 2030 final energy consumption target, a cut of at least 11.7%, by roughly 24% to 30%. In the same week the Oireachtas AI committee was due to hear the opposite case, that data centres are 'supercharging' Irish businesses.
“cannibalised by data centres”
24–30%
SEAI projected overshoot of the 2030 final energy target
French AI infrastructure firm Sesterce plans a $10 billion data-centre campus at the former Kaipola paper mill in Jämsä, Finland: 200 MW in a first phase rising to 600 MW, with work due to start in 2026, Konsulteer reported on 9 October, citing DatacenterDynamics. The company says it will use the existing grid and enable 1 MW of new renewable generation for each MW consumed within ten years of operation. No permit or grid-connection status was reported.
Poste Italiane chief executive Matteo Del Fante said Italy's bid for an EU AI gigafactory had nearly been lost three months ago and was revived with TIM, Eni and Leonardo, Adnkronos reported on 7 October. The equity and a new company are still being negotiated. The main site discussed is an Eni data centre near Pavia; a Milan-area site at the former Falck works in Sesto San Giovanni is also being considered. The EuroHPC call closes on 3 December 2026.
Where the radar looks now: Google News: Irish data-centre planning and appeals leads 39 sources
Each source's score is the share of its recent checks that found something worth keeping (a Beta estimate that forgets old results at 3% a check). The scan spends most of its daily slots on the top of this list and a few on the least-known sources. 1 run so far, 60 headlines scored, 7 kept. Calculated
Source
Covers
Score
Checks
Kept
Google News: Irish data-centre planning and appeals
Ireland
75%
1
3
Google News: data centre Ireland
Ireland
75%
1
1
Irish planning files (planningregister.ie)
Ireland
75%
0
0
Bing News: data centre Ireland
Ireland
72%
1
1
Google News (DE): Rechenzentrum
Europe
67%
1
1
Google News (IT): data center
Europe
67%
1
1
Google News: Nordic data centres
Europe
67%
1
1
Google News: hyperscaler data-centre investment in Europe
Europe
67%
1
1
Data Center Knowledge
World
60%
0
0
Irish Times business
Ireland
60%
0
0
RTÉ business
Ireland
60%
0
0
Google News: data centres in Europe (grid, permits)
Europe
60%
0
0
Words the ranking has learned to look for: grants, data centres, granted, permission, refused, refuses, eirgrid, moratorium, data centre, coimisiún, pleanála, planning. Ranked down: sponsored, webinar, shares, stock, podcast, approved minutes, minutes, 2026.
How the radar is written and checked
Editorial judgement
What this is. Every morning a scan checks each Irish data-centre planning file on the planning register for changes, takes the regulators' own lists (An Coimisiún Pleanála, EPA, CRU, EirGrid), and reads the news sources that have earned a place. A Claude routine scores every line on the shortlist, reads the strongest in full, and writes up only what matters for data centres and their power. Claims are attributed to their source; the site's build rejects any item without a source link and date, and keeps a quote only if it is found word for word on the source page. Choosing what matters is a judgement; the events are not.
Source: Planning register (planningregister.ie), An Coimisiún Pleanála, EPA LEAP, CRU, EirGrid, and the publishers linked on each item · as of 2026-10-12 · each item links to its own source · Compiled by StackPath
Questions people ask
What does the data-centre radar cover?
Each day it checks every Irish data-centre planning file on the planning register for new files, decisions, further-information requests and appeals; the regulators' own lists (An Coimisiún Pleanála, EPA, CRU, EirGrid); and news sources across Ireland and Europe in several languages. Only items that matter for data centres and their power supply are kept.
How does the radar decide where to look?
It has a fixed budget per day. Every source keeps a record of how often a check found something worth keeping, and the scan spends most of its slots on the best sources and a few on the least-known ones. A small model ranks new headlines using what was kept before; part of each day's list is drawn at random from below the cut so the model can learn what it is missing.
Who writes the items, and how are they checked?
A scheduled Claude routine reads the shortlist, scores every line, reads the strongest in full and writes each item from its source, attributing claims. The site's build rejects any item without a source link and date, and quotes are kept only if they are found verbatim on the source page.