Apple wins approval to begin first stage of Irish data center
Coming in well ahead of its deadline, Ireland's An Bord Plean?la has approved plans to build the first stage of an Apple data center, which will include support buildings and one of eight eventual data halls.
Apple's official rendering of the full-scale complex.
Apple will have to apply for further permission every time it wants to add another hall, Business Insider said on Friday, noting that the facility may take as much as 10 to 15 years to reach full size. In approving the first stage, An Bord Plean?la suggested that despite concerns over things like traffic and environmental damage, the data center will help the area's economy, employing over 200 people in its construction. A smaller number of IT workers and associated staff will actually run the complex.
The board also acknowledged that it can be difficult to find sites for large-scale data centers that simultaneously need connection to the national power grid. Apple intends to fully power the facility using renewable energy sources.
The construction site is located in the town of Athenry in County Galway, not far from the Athenry Golf Club. Apple will be building on land that was previous a tree farm, and has promised to restore native trees to the area, as well as add a walking trail and an "outdoor education space" for local schools.
Apple will have to comply with some additional conditions, including limiting noise and the number of parking spaces, and running external cables underground.
Once it's finished, the data center should be Apple's first in Europe and handle traffic for iTunes, Siri, the App Store, and other cloud-based services. The company has been targeting a 2017 launch date, but may have to postpone that given the delays caused by the appeal process.
Apple's official rendering of the full-scale complex.
Apple will have to apply for further permission every time it wants to add another hall, Business Insider said on Friday, noting that the facility may take as much as 10 to 15 years to reach full size. In approving the first stage, An Bord Plean?la suggested that despite concerns over things like traffic and environmental damage, the data center will help the area's economy, employing over 200 people in its construction. A smaller number of IT workers and associated staff will actually run the complex.
The board also acknowledged that it can be difficult to find sites for large-scale data centers that simultaneously need connection to the national power grid. Apple intends to fully power the facility using renewable energy sources.
The construction site is located in the town of Athenry in County Galway, not far from the Athenry Golf Club. Apple will be building on land that was previous a tree farm, and has promised to restore native trees to the area, as well as add a walking trail and an "outdoor education space" for local schools.
Apple will have to comply with some additional conditions, including limiting noise and the number of parking spaces, and running external cables underground.
Once it's finished, the data center should be Apple's first in Europe and handle traffic for iTunes, Siri, the App Store, and other cloud-based services. The company has been targeting a 2017 launch date, but may have to postpone that given the delays caused by the appeal process.
Comments
Read it and weep Euro pick pockets. Apple creates more jobs with EVERY new development. This is why Ireland does not support the EU in trying to grab 10 years of back taxes.
Once the first data centre is built they'll realise that their (frequently irrational) fears were unfounded - only to endure another 10 years of construction noise and interruption.
They should have just allowed it all to be built simultaneously, it would minimise the traffic impact and dust, while also providing the strongest boost to the economy. Instead it'll be a slow negligible addition over several years with a combination of long term road congestion/interruption for the minimum economic boost.
I'd place bets that after the first is built the rest will be approved in one hit.
You have little understanding of the nature of the location Apple chose to build this. Building all the halls simultaneously would have been a long drawn out nightmare for the locals. This is not an industrial location with roads and infrastructure designed to service it. Personally I share the views of some who have asked why Apple couldn't have built this in an existing business park or similarly zoned area. Plonking this in the middle of a quiet rural setting seems completely inappropriate. You don't seem to appreciate it, but Apple have actually had a very smooth ride with this, despite some articles designed to make it seem otherwise.
This is likely the main route construction traffic will have to use to reach the site:
By taking this approach they have basically said, go ahead lets see if your promises and assurances are met. That seems entirely logical and reasonable to me. There would be plenty of places where locals would have been screaming and protesting not to allow it to be built at all.
This facility if ever completed, will increase Ireland's total electricity usage by 8%. That means another entire gas/coal/peat fired power station will possibly have to be built just so as to be able to power it when the wind isn't blowing.
Such is the BS of electricity generated from renewables.
Trump would never be voted for in this country, we aren't stupid.
“We believe that innovation is about leaving the world better than we found it, and that the time for tackling climate change is now,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environmental Initiatives. “We’re excited to spur green industry growth in Ireland and Denmark and develop energy systems that take advantage of their strong wind resources. Our commitment to environmental responsibility is good for the planet, good for our business and good for the European economy.”
The two data centres, each measuring 166,000 square metres, are expected to begin operations in 2017 and include designs with additional benefits for their communities. For the project in Athenry, Ireland, Apple will recover land previously used for growing and harvesting non-native trees and restore native trees to Derrydonnell Forest. The project will also provide an outdoor education space for local schools, as well as a walking trail for the community."
What I wrote was entirely accurate.
Before you swallow Lisa Jackson's propaganda, hook line and sinker, you might want to read this article about where the energy Apple uses really comes from.
http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/apple-athenry-centre-will-need-more-than-dublins-daily-electricity-supply-hearing-34744102.html