High Court clears way for €1.6bn data centre plan for Co Clare

Gordon Deegan

The backers of the €1.6 billion Art Data Centres data centre project for the outskirts of Ennis can now commence enabling works on the project after clearing all legal hurdles faced by the scheme in the High Court.

The company has welcomed the High Court ruling in Art Data Centres Ltd's favour in the judicial review proceedings.

In his 64-page written judgement, Richard Humphreys has dismissed the judicial review proceedings by opponents to the planned data centre, Colin Doyle, Friends of the Irish Environment CLG, Futureproof Clare, Martin Knox and Christine Sharp.

Joint founders of Art Data Centres, Tom McNamara and Vincent Fogarty said that the “judgement recognises that there is a future for environmentally-sensitive data centre developments like ours, where there is responsible use of renewable energy, grid-supporting generation technology and heat-recycling for both agri-food and local heating schemes”.

A spokeswoman for Art Data Centres said that the project’s scale at 200MW “will be attractive to the largest technology partners in the world and the project represents the culmination of more than eight years of preparatory work”.

She said that the lifting of all legal impediments now clears the way for a connection agreement for the data centres.

An Coimiúsin Pleanala had granted planning permission to Art Data Centres Ltd for the scheme in April 2024, comprising six data halls covering 145 acres or 1.3m sq ft on lands adjacent to the Tulla Rd on the eastern outskirts of Ennis near Junction 13 on the M18 motorway connecting Galway to Limerick.

The planned data centre had been stalled by a High Court judicial review challenge by opponents of the data centre and in 2025, the High Court ruled that an issue concerning a Leisler bat is not sufficient to halt contentious plans for the new 200MW data centre campus.

The one remaining item at issue before the High Court concerned a derogation licence.

A spokeswoman for Art Data Centres stated today that the total investment is expected to exceed €1.6 billion across three phases, creating significant economic activity in Ennis, County Clare and the wider region.

She said: “The project will generate substantial employment during both the construction phase and the long term operational life of the facility - up to 1,200 in construction, thousands more in support jobs and services, up to a thousand permanent jobs and the under-pinning of thousands more in digital industries.

She said that “following the conclusion of the legal process, Art will now proceed to the site and initial works will focus on the enabling works package, including the diversion of overhead power lines in cooperation with EirGrid and ESB Networks”.

She said that Phase One of the project — comprising the electrical substation, Data Halls 2 and 3, and associated site works — is scheduled for completion and commissioning by the end of 2028.