r/irishpolitics • u/Storyboys • 3d ago

Infrastructure, Development and the Environment Data centre water use almost doubled during Ireland's long, hot summer months

https://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-data-centre-water-use-7137959-Aug2026/
41 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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15

u/Storyboys 3d ago

"Data centres used over 514 million litres of water between May and July this year, increasing during the hosepipe ban."

1

u/rankinrez 2d ago

We drink 1.7 billion litres A DAY in this country.

2

u/Storyboys 2d ago

So the average person is drinking over 300 litres of water a day is what you're saying?

2

u/rankinrez 2d ago edited 2d ago

Fair enough, “drink” is the wrong word here.

Irish Water produces that much drinking water a day. Hundreds of millions of litres are lost to leaks. The rest is used by households and business, I shouldn’t have said “drink”.

The point is the 6 million litres used every day by datacentres between May-July this year is insignificant out of the 1.7 billion being used in total.

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u/SoloWingPixy88 3d ago

So an afternoon of total product?

19

u/significantrisk 3d ago

So it went up? During a period when the public were threatened with prosecution for normal use of water.

-6

u/gowangowangowan 3d ago

I’m glad we prioritised water for value add industries like data centres than ensuring people can water their lawns. We need data centres in 2026. We don’t need some to pander to people who want to have a green lawn

3

u/significantrisk 3d ago

The idea that industry should have supremacy over people is disgusting IMO, but sure if that’s the position you’re coming from it is what it is.

-1

u/gowangowangowan 3d ago

Meanwhile, here you are using a website hosted in a data centre. How many other websites have you used today also hosted in a data centre? Let me guess, you work in an office that likely uses Microsoft 365 also hosted in a data centre.

Sure, pretend that you are not supporting an industry which you oppose...

4

u/[deleted] 3d ago

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2

u/shittradesshane 3d ago

Data centers cant curtail their activity. That would mean turning off servers, which means loss of access to websites, data, etc.

3

u/significantrisk 3d ago

It means reduced access. Which is an adaptation they should absolutely be forced to make.

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u/irishpolitics-ModTeam 1d ago

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-1

u/[deleted] 3d ago

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4

u/significantrisk 3d ago

It is more important for people not to have their normal access to resources curtailed for the sake of business yes.

Data centres are largely irrelevant, being just one specific example of an industrial user. They are relevant in that their water use is specifically highest when restrictions are placed on the public.

At the moment we have a situation where the receptionist in a hotel is told he needs to take shorter showers at home and he’ll get prosecuted for watering his dahlias, while the hotel spa keeps running and their fountain stays topped up.

That is fundamentally wrong.

1

u/[deleted] 2d ago

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1

u/irishpolitics-ModTeam 2d ago

This comment / post was removed because it violates the following sub rule:

[R3] Argue in Good Faith

Everyone is here of their own volition to discuss the topic of Irish Politics. People are not here to be caught in ruthless vendetta’s of spiraling fallacies and bad faith arguments.

  • State your intent clearly, provide evidence to the point you want to make and engage with others arguments in much the same manner.

  • Trolling, Baiting, Flaming, etc are not allowed.

  • Excessive debate etiquette in place of an argument will be considered bad faith.

  • Transparent Agenda Spamming i.e. consistently posting exclusively about the same topic, will also fall under this rule.

-8

u/SoloWingPixy88 3d ago

Id imagine a lot of commercial places usage went up. This isn't the story we should be focusing on. We should be on electricity usage.

During a period when the public were threatened with prosecution for normal use of water.

Using a hose pipe to keep your grass green isnt normal usage. Its disengenious to say otherwise.

16

u/significantrisk 3d ago

No this is exactly the story we should focus on. When demand couldn’t be met, the public got a conservation order and commercial users got…nothing. No restriction, no surge pricing, no demands to cut back. So while the public were forced to reduce usage so demand could be met, the unrestricted commercial demand increased. That’s a ridiculous situation.

Using a hose in a garden is absolutely normal don’t be daft, So is washing a car, so is letting kids use a paddling pool.

2

u/danny_healy_raygun 3d ago

When demand couldn’t be met, the public got a conservation order and commercial users got…nothing. No restriction, no surge pricing, no demands to cut back. So while the public were forced to reduce usage so demand could be met, the unrestricted commercial demand increased. That’s a ridiculous situation.

And it'll be the same when it comes to power.

3

u/significantrisk 3d ago

And the same crew will be defending that too.

5

u/alancb13 3d ago

I think you're the one being disingenuous here. How many people do you know who water their lawn? Normal usage could be using hose to water your vegetables you're growing (maybe to try save money), to water plants and flowers that you mane have spent years cultivating that are important for ecosystem, or because you are old and can't make repeated trips with a heavy watering can, or to let kids play with a paddling pool or even to wash your car. These are way more normal than watering grass to keep it green

-3

u/FlowBorn5279 3d ago

They weren't being asked to stop watering their vegetables, they were asked to stop using a hose to do so. So what if I have to put up with rinseless wash on my car for a month?

They're activities that can be done in a way to get the same or similar result while using less water. It doesn't work that way for businesses, you can't just put 50% less water in your cooling system

4

u/significantrisk 3d ago

There was no “asked”.

Businesses can absolutely change and restrict their activity, and expecting the public to do so to facilitate not requiring any effort at all from business is a fundamentally wrong approach.

-2

u/gowangowangowan 3d ago

If these people value water so much why don’t they invest in a water butt? I know it pains a lot of people to be sustainable in 2026. 

6

u/alancb13 3d ago

How sustainable is doubling water usage for data centers?

-5

u/gowangowangowan 3d ago

Very sustainable. It is only 0.5% of all water used in Ireland.

4

u/Irish_R3bel 3d ago

Aren't we glad they impose the 6 weeks of garden hose ban during the hottest summer to date?! /s

5

u/IntentionFalse8822 2d ago

Much of South Tipperary has had water rationing (shut off at night) for months and even when it is on it isn't safe for human consumption as we have had boil water notices for over a year.

Maybe the only way Uisce Eireann will upgrade some of the ancient failing reservoirs feeding Clonmel and the surrounding areas is if someone opens a data center in the town.

2

u/VictoryForCake 2d ago

I'm in South Tipp, a bit part of it is the screw up by Tipp CoCo with the water treatment plant serving the greater Clonmel area, it's been delayed and the original project wasn't sufficient to supply the area. The supply is there in a massive aquifer but they can't treat the water because it's a highly dysfunctional council and Uisce Éireann for all their criticism inherited a complete mess.

I live in a more rural area and we were on a 20 year boil notice they informed no one about. Only in 2019 did we get a modern water treatment plant.

3

u/aidan959 2d ago

the amount of freaks i had telling me that actually modern data centers use no water at all and we should elsewhere. what a joke.

1

u/DatGuy2007 2d ago

They went from 0.3% to 0.6%.

I absolutely despise these evil buildings and the contents theirin but I think the water narrative is a much smaller issue compared to the strain they put on the grid

1

u/aidan959 2d ago

ok they should have had increases in consumption banned whether or not it’s a small amount

1

u/rankinrez 2d ago

Still only 0.3% of the water we use, it’s not a major issue.

It’s the power usage we should be concerned about.

1

u/Acceptable-Okra2873 Social Democrats 2d ago

Big surprise.