“Why Is There No Data Centres?” Eamon Ryan Criticises Dublin Port Expansion Plan

MINISTER for the Environment and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has said he cannot in good conscience express support for the planned expansion of Dublin Port so long as it doesn’t include several data centres.

“Where will the world store its Tiktoks about windowsill lettuce boxes?” Eamon Ryan asked in a radio interview, in which he also said rail transport of cargo should be enhanced at ports to reduce reliance on trucks.

Criticising the plans, which will double the capacity at the port and mean a further reliance on freight trucks that could harm the nation’s emissions reduction targets, Ryan felt there was little consideration given to alternative options and sustainability.

“Throw in a few data centres to sweeten the deal, they don’t have to any bigger than the ones we currently have which account for 30% of the total electricity demand of the entire grid,” pleaded Ryan, seeing the bigger environmental picture.

In a bid to appease his own detractors, Ryan said the data centres could be easily offset by people if they abandoned their cars in favour of cycling the length of the country every day for the next 20 years.

Ryan’s comments were called an ‘unprecedented intervention’ by a government minister, the sort of outspoken and principled intervention people would have really appreciated when the eviction ban was being lifted or when 40% of the survivors were excluded from the Mother and Baby Homes redress scheme.