In 1999, the Irish Government banned domestic nuclear power generation – a moratorium that has now lasted for almost three decades.
At the time, Ireland had a population of less than four million and its energy demand was regarded as small enough to forgo the construction of nuclear power plants, which a sizeable proportion of Irish people regarded as dangerous and expensive.
Now, in 2026, the Irish Government is reportedly considering overturning that ban, all because of an industry that scarcely existed in the country before the turn of the millennium.
The industry in question is data centres. In the 21st century, Ireland has become an important base for many of the world’s largest tech companies, thanks to its low corporate tax rates and proximity to the EU.
As a result, many of these companies including AWS, Google, Microsoft and Meta operate several large data centres in Ireland, while large colocation providers such as Equinix and Digital Realty have a substantial presence too.
