Data centres accounted for more than one-fifth (22 per cent) of Irish electricity usage in 2024, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has found.
The percentage share of metered electricity consumption used by data centres has more than quadrupled since 2015, when figures were recorded at 5 per cent.
Total metered electricity consumption was 31,900 gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2024, up by 4.3 per cent compared with 2023 and by 30 per cent since 2015, according to a separate CSO release. Of this figure, urban households accounted for 18 per cent and rural households for 10 per cent.
Metered electricity consumption by data centres increased by 10 per cent from 6,335 GWh in 2023 to 6,969 GWh in 2024. Consumption by all other users, including residential and other business customers, increased by 3 per cent over the same period.
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Quarterly metered electricity consumption by data centres rose steadily from 290 GWh in the first quarter of 2015 to 1,829 GWh in the fourth quarter of 2024 – an increase of 531 per cent.
Large energy users, a category that typically includes major data centres, made up the largest share at 31 per cent of total metered electricity consumption in 2024. Their consumption reached 9,897 GWh in 2024, a 9 per cent increase from the previous year.
Former minister for the environment, climate and energy Eamon Ryan last year defended his role in making Ireland “the world’s leading centre of data centres”, expressing confidence they could be operated in a low-carbon manner.
“Ireland is the world’s leading centre of data centres, bar none. Silver-medal place probably goes to the [US] state of Virginia, just south of Washington. There’s no one else even in the bronze-medal place. We’ve a factor of 10 higher concentration of data centres than our European colleagues – and that brings real benefits and strength to the country,” Mr Ryan said.
A study by University College Cork energy analyst Prof Hannah Daly found that unchecked growth in Irish data centres fuelled by an AI boom is undermining Ireland’s ability to meet critical 2030 climate targets.
According to the latest CSO figures, median residential electricity consumption rose by 2.3 per cent in 2024 compared with 2023, with all counties showing an increase. A breakdown of residential energy consumption revealed Kildare had the highest median figure, at 3,845 kilowatt hours (kWh), while Donegal had the lowest, at 2,650 kWh.
Geographically, Dublin postal districts had the highest proportion of residential consumption in 2024 at 19 per cent. This was followed by Cork (12 per cent), Dublin County (6 per cent), Galway (6 per cent), and Kildare (5 per cent).
The number of residential meters saw a 10 per cent increase between 2015 and 2024, the highest of these increases were in counties adjacent to Dublin city with residential meters in Kildare and Meath both up by 19 per cent. There were 1.9 million residential customers with smart meters by the end of 2024, which accounts for 83 per cent of all residential meters.
Approximately 10 per cent of residential customers consumed less than 1,000 kWh in 2024, significantly below the median consumption of 3,246 kWh. Low consumption levels can indirectly indicate factors such as vacant properties, holiday homes, or energy poverty, and are also influenced by dwelling size and energy efficiency, the CSO said.
Its report also found metered electricity consumption by stand-alone electric vehicle charge points rose by 43 per cent from 23 GWh in 2023 to 33 GWh in 2024.
