Irish Data Centers Now Consume 23% of the Country's Electricity

New CSO figures show Ireland's data centres consumed nearly a quarter of all metered electricity in 2025 — the highest share in the OECD — even under a Dublin connection moratorium.

Data centers in Ireland now account for 23% of the country's total metered electricity consumption, according to new figures from Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO). The share rose from 20% in 2023 and just 5% in 2015 — a trajectory the United Nations recently cited as a "cautionary tale" for other nations.

The CSO data shows consumption climbed 10% in 2025 alone, from 6,973 GWh to 7,663 GWh, even though an effective moratorium on new grid connections remained in place across the Dublin area for nearly the entire year. By comparison, all other electricity customers combined increased their usage by just 2%.

Data centres now use more power than Ireland's urban households, which account for 18% of metered consumption, and more than twice the rural household share of 9%. For a country of just over 5 million people hosting more than 80 data centres, the figures mark Ireland as the highest data-centre electricity consumer among OECD member states.

The moratorium was lifted in December 2025 under stricter new rules: operators seeking grid connections above 10 MW must now provide on-site generators or battery systems capable of matching their full draw, and must feed power back to the national grid when required.

The Irish Times editorial board has called for a more comprehensive assessment of the sector's impact, noting that even if operators comply with the government's 80% renewable energy stipulation, projected growth means the centres will still produce significant carbon emissions and compete with housing and critical infrastructure for grid capacity.

Sources: The Register, The Irish Times