Vantage Data Centers is investing more than €1 billion in a new data center campus in Dublin.
The build will take place in several phases, starting with 52MW of IT capacity, which is expected to be operational in late 2024. Once finished, the new DUB1 campus will become the company's 14th in the EMEA region.
Located around nine miles from Dublin city center in Profile Park, Grange Castle, the 22-acre site will house a 405,000 square foot campus with one 32MW facility and one 20MW facility. There's land and power available to add a third facility in the future, the firm said
The campus will deliver an annualized Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.2 and will use virtually no water for cooling.
Meanwhile, it will include an on-site 100MVA multi-fuel generation plant capable of running a combination of fuels - mainly hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and gas fed by Gas Networks Ireland. The generation plant can also funnel power back to the grid.
Vantage plans to use HVO in place of conventional diesel fuel throughout its fleet of back-up generators, and revealed it's working to obtain corporate power purchase agreements (CPPAs) for green energy, such as biomethane from local providers.
Currently HVO accounts for 99% of fuel requirements during the construction phase.
"Vantage is committed to environmental responsibility and is pleased that our sustainability goals, including reducing emissions, achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and maximizing energy efficiency, align closely with those of the Irish government and regulatory bodies as we continue growing Ireland’s position as a leader in the digital age for cloud computing," said Jinél Fourie, director of public policy, EMEA at Vantage Data Centers.
"As environmental technology continues to advance, including the inaugural use of a multi-fuel generation plant in Dublin, we look forward to continuing our local partnerships to explore additional solutions to enhance the local community."
Rapid data center growth has become a controversial subject in Ireland, with their combined electricity consumption having risen by a third between 2021 and 2022, and by 400% since 2015, according to figures from Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Rules introduced in 2021 mean that new data centers will only be permitted if they have a suitable location, the ability to use back-up generators, and the ability to reduce power consumption when requested.
However, Labour’s climate spokesperson, senator Rebecca Moynihan, recently called for a pause in all data center developments as their impact on energy supplies is investigated.
