Tag Archives: Futureproof Clare

CONTROVERSIAL plans for a proposed €450 million data centre in Ennis, currently awaiting a decision by An Bord Pleanala, featured on an episode of acclaimed BBC series Panorama this week. On Monday BBC One aired the programme which included filming in several Irish locations relevant to the growth in data centre operations and planning applications in Ireland. The programme questioned the cost of using more data in terms of the increase in emissions and use of water in several countries including the US and Ireland. Ireland already has over 70 data centres in operation which consume more than 13% of national electricity. At least 30 more have been granted planning permission. Filming took place in Dublin as well as Ennis at the 145 acre site where Clare County Council granted permission to Art Data Centres for the development which has faced opposition. The planning decision has been appealed by local groups and residents, and a decision is due from an …

A PROPOSED ban of using cyanide in future Clare mining operations that are located near groundwater has been backed by local councillors. This has been welcomed by Futureproof Clare who claimed the new Government policy on mineral exploration and mining has been devised solely to facilitate the large scale extraction of minerals. Councillor Johnny Flynn asked Clare County Council at a recent meeting to amend the wording of the new Draft County Development Plan to ensure there are proper environmental safeguards concerning the impact of any existing and proposed extractive industries. Chief executive, Pat Dowling pledged to request senior planning officials to look at strengthening these safeguards in the final wording of the new County Development Plan before it comes back before members. At the request of environmental campaigning group Futureproof Clare, Councillor Johnny Flynn brought the fact the county is not protected to the attention of the council. Councillor Flynn said the Draft Regional Water Resources Plan for the …

ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners from across the country ramped up their campaign against plans for a €450 million data centre in Ennis this week by handing in an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. Futureproof Clare’s appeal against the 10-year planning permission recently granted to Art Data Centres Ltd was submitted with the support of Ecojustice Ireland, Extinction Rebellion, and Friends of the Irish Environment. Air quality issues, water consumption, poor public consultation, public health impacts and climate and biodiversity impacts have been cited in Futureproof Clare’s opposition. Futureproof Clare together with Ecojustice Ireland are challenging the decision to grant permission on the following grounds: failure to adhere to Irish Statutory requirements, failure to have regard to relevant considerations, and failure to adhere to international and EU environmental law. Declan Owens, lawyer and chairperson of Ecojustice Ireland claimed that the site of the planned data centre would be “transformed into a further blight on the landscape” if the development goes ahead. The appeal …

AN Bord Pleanála has given Rusal Aughinish Alumina Limited (AAL) the green light for controversial expansion plans despite trenchant opposition from environmental groups. This decision will allow the Russian-owned company to carry out a major expansion of its Bauxite Residue Disposal Area (BRDA), extending the life of the plant for an extra nine years up to 2039. The company was given permission last year to begin rock-blasting for the next 10 years to a depth of 8.5m on its site following a review of its licence by the EPA. It will enable the company to deposit an extra eight million m3 of bauxite residue in total at its plant. Futureproof Clare, local farmers and Environmental Trust Ireland were among the groups to object to the granting of planning permission. Documents submitted to An Bord Pleanála by Town Planning Consultants Tom Phillips and Associates outlined the plant would cease operations in 2030 “based on current production levels” of 1.9 million tonnes …

AN alliance of local activists and environmental groups is to hold a public meeting in Ennis this Wednesday evening to highlight opposition to the proposed data centre near the town. The meeting will take place at 7pm at The Copper Jug Bar and Café (Courtview, Lifford, Ennis) to convey the group’s “deep concern” about plans by Art Data Centres Ltd. to construct a data centre on the Tulla Road, Ennis, which, they claim, will consume as much electricity as 200,000 homes – more than in Clare and Limerick combined. A spokesperson for the group said, “The plans to build one of the largest data centres in the country here in Ennis brings with it an additional threat to the health of people here as the plans include a gas burning plant that will only make the air quality here worse than it already is, leading to asthma and other respiratory problems.” Ruairí Ó Fathaigh, industry expert and Futureproof Clare member …

Futureproof Clare was among the 20 groups that participated in a national protest this Tuesday to try to stop planning approval for more rock-blasting at the bauxite refining site at Rusal Aughinish Alumina plant in Co Limerick. The groups who have come together in protest at Rusal’s proposed move include Futureproof Clare, Friends of the Irish Environment, Slí Eile, and the Cappagh Farmers Support Group, whose founder Pat Geoghegan has long campaigned against the facility. Tim Hannon of Futureproof Clare said the group is “extremely determined” to stop the blasting from going ahead at the plant. He was speaking at a press event in Dublin on Tuesday to discuss a planning application by Aughinish Alumina to expand its disposal site for the ‘red mud’ created as a by-product from the bauxite refining process. Mr Hannon told the event at the Teachers Club in Dublin, which heard from academic experts regarding the potential pollutant effects of bauxite refineries, that the Aughinish …

MORE than 30 people attended an online meeting last week to voice opposition to plans for mineral prospecting in East Clare, writes Fiona McGarry. The gathering heard that a county-wide ban should be sought, in the same way that fracking had previously been prohibited in Clare. The virtual event was organised by the newly-formed Keep Tulla Untouched and hosted by co-founder Jacintha Van Roij. Ms Van Roij, who described herself as a small-holder in the area, said that while a representative of Minco Ireland, the company currently seeking a prospecting licence, had been invited to attend, no response had been received. Farmers, public representatives and environmental campaigners alike were alarmed earlier this month at news that Department of the Environment intended to grant a licence to the Navan-based company for the prospecting of minerals, including silver and gold ore. After a political and public outcry, the Department extended the submission period to January 23 and an emergency motion was carried …

A PUBLIC information event will take place next Monday (August 16) to air environmental concerns over the planned €1.2 billion Ennis data centre. The online briefing will be hosted by Futureproof Clare, who are calling on the local authority to reject the application on the grounds of the centre’s massive energy requirements. It will be addressed by Deputy Bríd Smith and Professor Barry McMullin of Dublin City University (DCU). According to an application lodged by Art Data Centres Ltd last month, the facility will have access to 200 mega-watts of power from both the network grid and gas generation on site. The data centre campus, whose developers have promised will create thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of permanent positions, is identified by Clare County Council as a key pillar of the Ennis 2040 Economic Plan. Concerns over energy and resource consumption by the facility have now been raised by Futureproof Clare, Extinction Rebellion Clare and the Clare Environmental Network. …