StackPath Ireland

Statistics · every number sourced and dated

Data centres in Ireland: the numbers

The headline numbers: data centres used 7.7 TWh in 2025, 23.2% of Ireland's metered electricity (CSO, published 7 July 2026); 55 campuses are operating and 7 under construction (StackPath directory, Oct 2026); and licensed sites used 1.05 billion litres of public water in 2025 (EPA reports). Every figure below has its source and date.

Updated 10 October 2026 · data build 2026-10-10 · how we know · corrections

Figure 1

Where Ireland's electricity growth went

Since 2015, metered electricity use grew by 8,388 GWh, and data centres account for 77% of that growth.

Metered electricity: data centres and everyone elseAll metered electricity rose from 24,599 GWh in 2015 to 32,987 GWh in 2025. Data centres added 6,422 GWh and everyone else 1,966 GWh, so data centres account for 77% of the growth.010,00020,00030,000GWH A YEAR2015: data centres 1,240 GWh (5%), everyone else 23,359 GWh20152016: data centres 1,483 GWh (5.8%), everyone else 23,872 GWh20162017: data centres 1,762 GWh (6.8%), everyone else 23,964 GWh20172018: data centres 2,183 GWh (8.2%), everyone else 24,547 GWh20182019: data centres 2,489 GWh (9.4%), everyone else 24,015 GWh20192020: data centres 3,031 GWh (11.2%), everyone else 24,025 GWh20202021: data centres 4,013 GWh (14.1%), everyone else 24,493 GWh20212022: data centres 5,274 GWh (17.7%), everyone else 24,551 GWh20222023: data centres 6,339 GWh (20.7%), everyone else 24,242 GWh20232024: data centres 6,974 GWh (21.9%), everyone else 24,930 GWh20242025: data centres 7,662 GWh (23.2%), everyone else 25,325 GWh2025Everyone else+1,966 GWhsince 2015Data centres+6,422 GWhsince 2015
Metered electricity: data centres and everyone elseAll metered electricity rose from 24,599 GWh in 2015 to 32,987 GWh in 2025. Data centres added 6,422 GWh and everyone else 1,966 GWh, so data centres account for 77% of the growth.010k20k30kGWH A YEAR2015: data centres 1,240 GWh (5%), everyone else 23,359 GWh'152016: data centres 1,483 GWh (5.8%), everyone else 23,872 GWh2017: data centres 1,762 GWh (6.8%), everyone else 23,964 GWh'172018: data centres 2,183 GWh (8.2%), everyone else 24,547 GWh2019: data centres 2,489 GWh (9.4%), everyone else 24,015 GWh'192020: data centres 3,031 GWh (11.2%), everyone else 24,025 GWh2021: data centres 4,013 GWh (14.1%), everyone else 24,493 GWh'212022: data centres 5,274 GWh (17.7%), everyone else 24,551 GWh2023: data centres 6,339 GWh (20.7%), everyone else 24,242 GWh'232024: data centres 6,974 GWh (21.9%), everyone else 24,930 GWh2025: data centres 7,662 GWh (23.2%), everyone else 25,325 GWh'25Data centres +6,422Others +1,966 GWh

Each bar is all electricity measured by meters in Ireland in one year: red is data centres, grey is homes, businesses and industry combined. Data centres went from 1,240 GWh (5%) in 2015 to 7,662 GWh (23.2%) in 2025, while everyone else added 1,966 GWh. The share of growth is our arithmetic on the CSO series. The SEAI, measuring all electricity demand rather than metered use, puts data centres at 88.2% of demand growth from 2015 to 2024.

Sources: CSO, Data Centres Metered Electricity Consumption (MEC02), 7 Jul 2026 · SEAI, Energy in Ireland 2025, Dec 2025

Every headline number

MeasureValuePeriodSourceDate
Electricity used by data centres7.66 TWh2025CSO, Data Centres Metered Electricity Consumption (MEC02)2026-07-07
Share of all metered electricity
5% in 2015
23.2%2025CSO MEC022026-07-07
Growth in data-centre electricity use+9.9%2024 to 2025CSO MEC022026-07-07
Share of all final energy (all fuels)
CSO 2024 data-centre use ÷ SEAI total final consumption
4.9%2024SEAI, Energy in Ireland 2025 report, Table 5.12025-12
Data-centre campuses known, any stage79as of 2026-10-10StackPath directory (planning, EPA, valuation, Building Control, OpenStreetMap)2026-10-10
Operating campuses55as of 2026-10-10StackPath directory2026-10-10
Campuses under construction
6 permitted, 3 proposed, 8 lapsed
7as of 2026-10-10StackPath directory (commencement notices, EPA)2026-10-10
Planning applications mentioning a data centre
129 granted, 12 refused, 11 pending
156to 2026-10-10Council planning registers via planningregister2026-10-10
Average grid draw of the 16 EPA-reporting sites
89% of the CSO national average (875 MW)
776 MW2025EPA annual environmental reports2026-10-03
Grid capacity contracted to data centres
includes some other new-technology loads
2,400 MVAAIRAA 2026–2035EirGrid All-Island Resource Adequacy Assessment 2026–20352025-12
Contracted data-centre capacity in use38–46%2025StackPath estimate: CSO average MW ÷ EirGrid contracted capacity2026-10-03
EirGrid forecast of data-centre demand9.4 → 14.6 TWh2025 → 2034EirGrid, as cited in CRU20252362025-12-12
Gas share of electricity demand (Ember, incl. imports)40.2%2025Ember yearly electricity data2026-10-03
Gas share of domestic generation48%2025Ember yearly electricity data (excludes net imports)2026-10-03
Wind share of electricity demand (Ember, incl. imports)
39.1% of domestic generation
32.7%2025Ember yearly electricity data2026-10-03
Net imports, share of electricity demand16.4%2025Ember yearly electricity data2026-10-03
Peak demand on the grid
on 5 January 2026
5,912 MW12 months to 2026-10-09EirGrid Smart Grid Dashboard, 15-minute data2026-10-10
Public-supply water used by licensed data centres
0.17% of public supply; two sites use 91%
1.05 bn litres2025EPA annual environmental reports (16 sites)2026-10-03
CO2 from data centres' grid electricity
2.8% of national emissions excl. land use
1.46 Mt2025StackPath estimate: CSO share × EPA electricity-sector emissions2026-10-10
Commercial rates paid by data centres (estimate)
66 properties
€72.6m a year2026StackPath estimate: Tailte Éireann valuation list × 2026 council rates2026-10-03
People working directly in operating data centres
via Maynooth WP31's reading of KPMG; medium confidence
≈3,3002024KPMG, 'The value of data centres to Ireland', DETE, 2 Jun 20262026-06-02
EPA generator licences at data centres
20 licensed, 4 applied for
29as of 2026-10-03EPA LEAP2026-10-03
Irish renewable PPAs announced by data-centre firms
17 deals
1,909 MWto 2026-10-03Company announcements, compiled by StackPath2026-10-03
Offshore wind operating
3,799 MW awaiting a planning decision
25 MWas of 2026-10-10StackPath offshore tracker2026-10-10
Electricity price for the largest industrial users
null× the EU figure
€0.1654/kWh2026-S1Eurostat nrg_pc_205, band ≥150 GWh/yr, excl. VAT and recoverable taxes2026-10-09

Values are read from the data build at render time. Estimates are labelled as ours; competitor and press figures are on the pages linked.

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