Tullamore-based energy firm and Lumcloon Energy subsidiary Red Admiral DC is set to build a 250MW data center in Westmeath, Ireland.
Located in the townlands of Kiltotan, Collinstown, Oldtown, and Farthingstown, plans for the facility were first submitted by the Lumcloon Energy subsidiary in December last year.
The plans submitted to An Bord Pleanála are at the pre-application stage, with a decision yet to be made.
As reported by local press, Red Admiral said the multi-billion euro project is being developed in partnership with South Korea’s SK Ecoplant. Reports of the pair building a fuel cell-powered data center first surfaced in November 2023.
In addition, the project will generate and store its energy on-site, becoming Ireland’s first data center facility to do so.
Other specifications of the facility have not been shared.
Red Admiral said: “The ambitious project integrates advanced decentralized energy resource technologies, enabling the facility to achieve independence while actively supporting the national electricity grid.
“Rather than relying heavily on the grid, it will generate, store, and manage its own energy on-site using a combination of technologies. This includes a 160MW Solid Oxide Fuel Cell system for efficient and clean power generation, a 250MW BESS for stability and resilience, and a 130MW solar photovoltaic array to harness renewable energy.”
Nigel Reams, CEO at Red Admiral DC, said the project “represents a transformative step for Ireland’s energy and digital landscape.”
The project was positively received by local MEP Barry Cowen.
In a recent post on X, the MEP said: “Data centers like this are vital for our digital economy. Notwithstanding the fact this center is planned to be self-sufficient/energy-independent from the national grid, it’s clear we need to have a national discussion about how to meet our growing needs or risk losing out on major investments.”
Red Admiral’s parent company Lumcloon Energy is the firm behind the €500 million Castlelost Flexible Generation energy project in Rochforbridge, which includes a 65MW battery storage facility and a 275MW FlexGen power plant fuelled by natural gas that will provide backup to the national grid. The energy storage system in Castlelost is set to go live shortly.
The data center industry’s presence in Ireland has become a talking point in recent years due to the strain it is putting on the country’s power grid. These concerns led to a defacto moratorium on new developments in the Dublin region being imposed by grid operator EirGrid, which is set to last until 2028.
The majority of the country’s data center developments have historically been focused in Dublin.
