Ireland reopens nuclear power debate as data centre electricity demand rises

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Ireland reopens nuclear debate

Highlights

Irish data centres now consume nearly 25% of national electricity, projected to reach at least 30% by 2032, accelerating debate over lifting the nuclear ban.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin signals openness to nuclear as public support grows—43% now favour scrapping the ban, up from a 2021 even split.
Irish Academy of Engineering estimates small modular reactors could supply 48% of electricity by 2050, but critics warn nuclear offers no short-term relief for prices or supply security.

Political push and power demand pressures

As reported by Financial Times, the renewed discussion follows a sharp rise in electricity use by data centres, which now account for nearly a quarter of Ireland’s consumption and are expected to reach at least 30 per cent by 2032. Their power use grows 10 per cent last year from 2024, compared with 2 per cent growth for all other users, intensifying pressure on Dublin’s energy planning.

Ireland has historically ruled out nuclear power. Protests that began in 1978 helped stop plans for a plant on the south-east coast, and legislation since 1999 has kept the technology off the table. But Taoiseach Micheál Martin recently signals openness to nuclear, while Fianna Fáil lawmaker James O’Connor has introduced a bill aimed at lifting the veto.

O’Connor argues that Ireland’s prohibition leaves the country exposed at a time of rising demand, pointing to Finland’s nuclear fleet and lower non-household electricity prices. Ireland, by contrast, imposed a de facto moratorium on new data centres in 2021 because the grid could not keep pace with their electricity needs.

A favourable tax regime has drawn major technology groups to base European operations in Ireland, increasing the sector’s economic weight as well as its energy footprint. Seán Fearon of the Autonomous University of Barcelona says nuclear is appearing on the agenda because of the multinational sector’s immense energy demand, especially from data centres.

Energy security gains face cost and timing concerns

Ireland still depends on imports for about four-fifths of its energy needs, while gas provides 40 per cent of electricity generation, wind 32 per cent and net imports through interconnectors with the UK 16 per cent, according to official data. Although the country has doubled wind generation capacity over the past decade, offshore wind development remains slow, with a decision on the first new offshore project since Arklow due in September.

Public support for reconsidering nuclear appears to be strengthening. An April opinion poll shows 43 per cent of respondents want the ban scrapped, against 28 per cent who favour keeping it, a marked change from an even split recorded in 2021 on whether Ireland should build a nuclear power station.

Supporters say Ireland is already indirectly exposed to nuclear generation through imported electricity from Britain and will deepen that exposure when an interconnector with France is completed in 2028. Eamonn O’Reilly of the Irish Academy of Engineering says Ireland should begin preparing now, with the Academy estimating that small modular reactors could supply 48 per cent of the country’s electricity by 2050.

Critics counter that nuclear cannot solve Ireland’s near-term problems. Hannah Daly of University College Cork says nuclear would not lower prices, strengthen supply security or help meet legally binding carbon budgets in the next 15 to 20 years, and warns that promoting it as a simple answer could delay renewable deployment further. Kieran White of Perigus Energy also says Ireland should focus on fixing planning and grid constraints that are holding back solar and wind projects.

Even as Ireland again allows new data centres if they can meet 80 per cent of their power needs from additional renewable generation within six years, Daly estimates the sector could consume 55 per cent of the country’s electricity by 2040. That outlook is keeping nuclear in the policy conversation, even though the fate of O’Connor’s bill remains unclear.

Our earlier report on Ohio’s data center expansion highlighted how rising power demand has become a political flashpoint, with concerns that new projects could push household electricity bills higher. We noted that state Republicans, including Sen. Jon Husted, were trying to deflect voter anxiety by arguing that price increases are driven more by broader energy policy and plant closures than by data centers themselves.

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