Data Centre being proposed near village in Offaly

A Data Centre is being proposed for the Rhode area in North Offaly.

Cllr Noel Cribbin told the recent meeting of Offaly County Council that it's very early days yet but he was delighted to hear that the area is considered a good location for the Centre.

Sharon Kennedy, Director of Services, said a report had recently been commissioned on the matter and it stated that Rhode had a number of factors which makes it suitable.

"One of our positives in Offaly," she said, "is we have an excellent connection to the electric grid."

Cllr Cribbin said he welcomed the two recent reports by both Eirgrid and Seimens on "the massive potential that we have here in North Offaly due to all the renewable power that is being harnessed in the area because of the presence of Edenderry Power, six Windfarms and Solar farms."

Cllr Cribbin added that both reports point out that it's preferable that big energy users such as Data Centres "be located where the green energy is being developed. In our case that’s here in North Offaly. I have been campaigning for years for the North Offaly area to be recognised and designated as a Green Energy Hub. Thankfully that looks as if it's going to happen."

The councillor promised that he wouldn't rest until "I see new companies and jobs coming into the area on the back of the Windfarms, solar farms and power plant we have in North Offaly."

A Data Centre is a building used to house computer systems and associated components such as telecommunications and storage systems. A large Data Centre is an industrial scale operation using as much electricity as a small town.