Wicklow Senator Pat Casey and Finance and Public Expenditure Spokesperson has defended Echelon Data Centre and SSE to jointly form green tech infrastructure for the proposed Data Centres in Arklow from a proposed moratorium proposed by Social Democrat TD Jennifer Whitmore and supported by Sinn Fein’s John Brady.
“I was shocked to hear Deputy Whitmore’s proposal to propose an immediate moratorium on all Data Centre Development when for the last number of years the people of Arklow and South Wicklow have been working and waiting for the development of a state of the art Green tech era for the region. Deputy Whitmore did not mention Wicklow’s need for balanced development once in her speech proposing a moratorium.”
“This moratorium if passed would be devastating for the transformative plans for a green high-tech era for South Wicklow and Arklow in particular. The investment portfolio being brought to Arklow is the greatest investment in sustainable jobs for South Wicklow in generations. To see Wicklow TD’s attempt to stop this much wanted and needed development for Arklow and South Wicklow is totally wrong.”
“Deputy’s Whitmore and Brady have obviously no idea of the need for these high tech jobs in Arklow. A massive public and positive response from the people of Arklow and the region was achieved when Echelon proposed this development for Arklow. There is a huge welcome for Echelon’s commitment to the region and for two of our TD’s to seek to sabotage this for political gain is outrageous.”
“It is essential in the rebuilding of our economy that green tech is seen as a key driver of development in attracting international investors. It was that in mind that I introduced the Management of Echelon with SSE to formulate a strategic partnership. I am delighted that this work has produced a fantastic result for the green tech industry in Ireland with the Arklow Data Centres being a net contributor to our energy requirements.”
“Irish-owned data centre owner and operator, Echelon Data Centres and green energy developer SSE Renewables have announced an agreement to develop a joint 220kV substation at the Avoca River Business Park, Arklow, Ireland.” “The new infrastructure will facilitate the development of Ireland’s first large-scale offshore wind farm, off the coast of Co. Wicklow with an export capacity of 520MW, and Echelon’s DUB20 (Arklow) 100MW data centre. The joint initiative marks the first time in Ireland that an offshore wind farm and a data centre have agreed to develop grid infrastructure. Upon completion, the proposed offshore wind farm and data centre will both directly connect to the Irish national grid via the new shared substation.”
“This is a landmark project for Arklow, for Green Tech and for Ireland. The immediate challenge is to power our technology sector with renewable energy and this partnership between Echelon and SSE makes the Arklow site a world leader in green tech. I have been assisting Echelon in their development of the Arklow data centre since the very beginning and I am delighted to see their enthusiasm, entrepreneurship and energy pay dividends.”
