Datacenter electricity use in Ireland rose 10\u00a0percent in 2025, reaching a share of 23\u00a0percent of the country’s metered consumption, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The figure climbs from 20\u00a0percent in 2023 and 14\u00a0percent in 2021, and from just 5\u00a0percent in 2015. Total consumption by server farms increased 10\u00a0percent from 6,973\u00a0GWh in 2024 to 7,663\u00a0GWh in 2025, while other sectors grew only 2\u00a0percent. Datacenters now use more power than urban households, which account for 18\u00a0percent, and more than twice the 9\u00a0percent used by rural homes.

Between 2015 and 2019, consumption more than doubled from 1,240\u00a0GWh to 2,490\u00a0GWh. From 2019 to 2025 it tripled again to 7,663\u00a0GWh, a pattern that has held every year. Statistician Grzegorz Głaczyński notes the consistent growth and its impact on national resources.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities imposed a moratorium on new grid connections in the Dublin area, lifting it only in December 2025. New rules now require any server farm seeking a connection above 10\u00a0MW to supply generators or battery systems capable of matching that rating and to feed power back to the grid when needed. The framework mirrors systems already used by Microsoft and Digital Realty.

With over 80 data centers in a country of just 5\u00a0million people, public opposition has grown. Similar concerns have reached the U.S., where federal authorities pressure tech giants to avoid sharp rises in energy bills or water use.