Last week, Government published its new data centre industry plan, otherwise known as LEAP, or Large Energy User Action Plan. Until a few years ago, Government policy on data centres was not LEAP, but LTAI (Let Them At It). There is a vigorous nod to embedding data centre industry lobbying further in Government decisions through establishing a “data centre sector round-table”. LEAP benefits the data centre industry because that’s what it is designed to do. In other countries, the cost benefit of data centres is increasingly a matter of public debate, and developments are often resisted.

Source: The Irish Times January 19, 2026 09:02 UTC