$1 billion Apple data center project in Athenry, Ireland cancelled
Apple has withdrawn its contentious proposal to build a data center in Athenry, Ireland after years of legal challenges.
Apple's cancellation of the plan comes two weeks after a High Court ruling allowed objectors to restart the appeal process. As a result, Apple would face years of hearings before it could break ground on the facility.
"Several years ago we applied to build a data centre at Athenry," Apple said in a statement to The Independent. "Despite our best efforts, delays in the approval process have forced us to make other plans and we will not be able to move forward with the data centre."
"We've been operating in Ireland since 1980 and we're proud of the many contributions we make to the economy and job creation," added Apple. "In the last two years we've spent over 550 million with local companies and, all told, our investment and innovation supports more than 25,000 jobs up and down the country. We're deeply committed to our employees and customers in Ireland and are expanding our operations in Cork, with a new facility for our talented team there."
Apple unveiled plans to build in Denmark and Athenry on the same day in February 2016. The project in Viborg, Denmark is complete.
The main spearhead behind the resistance to the Athenry data center was Allan Daly. Daly is an American-born immigrant and environmental engineer, and raised multiple objections to the data center. Daly's concerns centered around strain on the Irish electrical grid and no apparent plans to cope with greenhouse gas emissions from the data center.
Apple's project was initially approved by Irish planning councils, but Daly and fellow residents Sinead Fitzpatrick and Brian McDonagh appealed the decision to Ireland's An Bord Pleanala in Sept. 2015. The appeal wasn't granted, forcing Daly to the High Court for review of the case.
Apple's effort wasn't the only one that Daly wants stopped. Daly continues to battle a $1 billion Amazon data center in Dublin.
Apple's cancellation of the plan comes two weeks after a High Court ruling allowed objectors to restart the appeal process. As a result, Apple would face years of hearings before it could break ground on the facility.
"Several years ago we applied to build a data centre at Athenry," Apple said in a statement to The Independent. "Despite our best efforts, delays in the approval process have forced us to make other plans and we will not be able to move forward with the data centre."
"We've been operating in Ireland since 1980 and we're proud of the many contributions we make to the economy and job creation," added Apple. "In the last two years we've spent over 550 million with local companies and, all told, our investment and innovation supports more than 25,000 jobs up and down the country. We're deeply committed to our employees and customers in Ireland and are expanding our operations in Cork, with a new facility for our talented team there."
Apple unveiled plans to build in Denmark and Athenry on the same day in February 2016. The project in Viborg, Denmark is complete.
The main spearhead behind the resistance to the Athenry data center was Allan Daly. Daly is an American-born immigrant and environmental engineer, and raised multiple objections to the data center. Daly's concerns centered around strain on the Irish electrical grid and no apparent plans to cope with greenhouse gas emissions from the data center.
Apple's project was initially approved by Irish planning councils, but Daly and fellow residents Sinead Fitzpatrick and Brian McDonagh appealed the decision to Ireland's An Bord Pleanala in Sept. 2015. The appeal wasn't granted, forcing Daly to the High Court for review of the case.
Apple's effort wasn't the only one that Daly wants stopped. Daly continues to battle a $1 billion Amazon data center in Dublin.
Comments
This would have been a benefit to the Irish economy, and provide valuable high tech jobs - attracting other such roles to the area, as Apple does lead the way on this in Ireland. I don't understand the argument about the strain on the grid, and greenhouse gases... it'll get built somewhere else, AND Apple, of all company, is literally the best at using green energy.
I wonder if he'll win against Amazon too?
But Apple's record on sustainability speaks for itself - this is a loss to Athenry. Apple will just build this somewhere else, enriching that local population with advanced energy infrastructure, energy competency, skilled employment and other sustainability projects similar to the ones that were proposed for Athenry.
Basically this Daly guy is maliciously exercising his rights as a citizen and doing a tremendous disservice to his area and Ireland as a whole - which is a significant importer of energy. Ireland needs more of these projects and fast.
This was the first shot by Apple on this subject.
EDIT: According to the local news there that Apple data centre would have been burning more electricity than the entire city of Dublin. Wow! Data centers are hungry beasts.
But that one Apple facility would NOT have been the major drain on the stressed energy grid. Talking just the big techs Google has at least two there and doing an expansion on one of those. Microsoft has several and with one recent huge data facility had to build their own energy plant to support it. Amazon already has at least three in service with two more in planning, one of which is the one under attack by Mr Daly who is probably emboldened now with this recent successful challenge. Perhaps Ireland is getting ahead of themselves just a tad in actively promoting Ireland as a data centre hub. Reportedly the energy infrastructure is not ready to support them.
To their credit tho the Irish government's goal is for 40% of their energy production to source from the wind within the next three years, GE being one big name in the project. That's a pretty aggressive schedule.
EDIT2: Irish article on the energy grid strain caused in part by the data center's power needs
https://www.independent.ie/business/microsoft-forced-to-build-dublin-power-station-to-service-huge-data-centre-36137561.html
http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/2017/10/ireland-faces-data-centre-challenge-to-power-demand.html
It looks like energy might be a legitimate concern.
This Daly guy sounds so familiar to a few local to me in Scotland too. Not native, no family here, yet they move in and dictate to everyone about whats in the country's best interests - more often that not, environmentally focused at ANY cost. They would even protest against green/sustainable projects if it were to endanger the habitat of a sole gnat.
Anyway ireland needs to speed up this process, remember at all stages and all appeals this was approved. The complainers then kept trying higher courts.
Was Apple proposing to build on pristine natural areas, or reclaiming some abandoned scarred mining camp? It matters.
Of course this means short days in winter.
As you suggest Ireland should do is off shore wind farms. It is never not windy in the Atlantic west of Ireland, even when the island isn't bothered by wind.
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-21.58,49.19,1332/loc=-10.526,53.184
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/energy-and-resources/2017-a-record-year-for-installing-wind-energy-capacity-in-ireland-1.3390680
I live in Manhattan and my neighborhood is the larget of the city government and a series of hight tech companies looking for a foothold in New York City. I and my neighbors lives will radically change if this happens. Rents will soar, our over stressed public transport system will get even worse, small businesses will be forced out to be replaced with more corporate stores and restaurants and the very make up of my neighborhood will become unrecognizable. Big business brings big change and it is not all good and seldom is the local workforce tapped for these jobs which demand importing higher skilled workers from other cities, states and countries.
The people of Ireland and every other place has the right to stand up to Apple and the other Goliaths of the corporate world.
https://appleinsider.com/articles/17/04/21/apples-upcoming-danish-data-center-will-help-warm-area-homes
@gatorguy I was saying they should concentrate on off shore wind, as should Britain ( particularly off Scotland). Anytime I look at the earth null map I see that the wind just off the west of Ireland and Scotland is 2-3 times the wind across the Islands themselves, or the continent.
Today for instance wind across Ireland and Britain is about 20Km/h and unto 50 Km/h off Scotland and Ireland. Just off I mean - a mile or two out. Obviously the capital and maintenance costs are higher but the harvest is higher and the reliability of the wind.
https://www.offshorewind.biz/2018/02/05/ireland-esb-eyes-two-sites-for-new-500mw-offshore-wind-farms/
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/energy-and-resources/ireland-s-first-major-offshore-wind-project-moves-step-closer-1.3243826