Westmeath County Council has granted planning permission for a contentious €1 billion data centre campus and solar farm on a 600 acre site in Co Westmeath.
The Council planners have granted a 10-year planning permission to Red Admiral DC Ltd, which is owned by Offaly businessman Nigel Reams and forms part of his Lumcloon Energy Group, for a six unit data centre and a decentralised energy resource on townlands across Rochfortbridge, Co Westmeath.
The Council has granted planning permission despite local opposition with 55 submissions lodged concerning the initial plans.
Objectors voiced concerns over the environmental impact of the scheme, the data centre’s visual impact, the loss of 300 to 600 acres of highest quality tillage land and the devaluation of local houses.
The planning authority has given the project the green light after revised plans were lodged in March of this year.
Red Admiral first lodged its plans in July 2025 and underlining the scale of the proposal, the developer is to pay €8.24m in planning contributions towards public infrastructure along with a special levy of €289,367.
The applicant told the Council that the data campus could emit 493,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum.
In one of the 32 conditions attached to the permission, the Council state that prior to the commencement of the project, the applicant is to submit details of a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) entered into by the developer, demonstrating that electricity consumed by the development is matched by new renewable electricity generation.
The Council state that it was including the condition “in the interests of climate action and sustainable development”.
Documentation lodged with the application stated that the economic dividend per annum is estimated to be €117m and the project will deliver 440 operational jobs.
The grant of planning only comes days after two reports last week provided diverging views of the data centre industry in Ireland.
A UN report on the environmental impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) growth cited Ireland as “a cautionary tale” while a Government report in support of data centres states that since 2010, €22 billion has been added to the Irish economy, an additional 17,000 jobs have been created, and €2.8 billionn in tax has been collected because of data centres.
The 75 page Council planner’s report, which recommended that planning permission be granted, concluded that the proposal represents “a coordinated and strategically located infrastructure development that makes efficient use of existing energy and telecommunications infrastructure, including the established grid connection serving the site”.
The Council report further stated that “the proposed development also aligns with national planning and energy policy objectives relating to the delivery of strategic infrastructure, efficient grid utilisation, and the sustainable integration of large-scale digital infrastructure within appropriate locations”.
Endorsing the scheme, the report also states that the development “will support Ireland’s role as a leading location for technology investment and digital services, contributing to national economic growth, enterprise development, and wider strategic infrastructure objectives”.
The report states that the revised campus-style layout, enhanced landscape strategy, increased setbacks, reduced building heights, and additional mitigation measures collectively improve the integration of the development within the receiving environment and reduce the visual and landscape impacts associated with the proposal.
“The development will also contribute to employment generation, economic activity, and engagement opportunities with local services and enterprises,” the report added.
In a submission, local resident Catherine Walsh told the Council that the scheme will result in the devaluation of property in Rochfortbridge/Tyrrellspass area.
Ms Walsh of Farthingstown, Rochfortbridge says that the project “will leave this area very unattractive for anyone to live in. It will leave property unsaleable. The houses on its outskirts, between 50 and 100, will be massively devalued.”
Joe and Sandra Denehan of Farthingstown, Rochfortbridge raised concerns over the loss of high quality agricultural land.
They state that “the development proposes to remove approximately 300 acres of productive tillage farmland from agricultural use. This land is among the most fertile in the country and contributes to local employment and food security”.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
