Apple's $1 billion Athenry, Ireland data center approved after legal challenges squashed

The Irish courts have spoken, and Apple is now permitted to go forward after a long battle over environmental and power concerns for its Athenry, Ireland data center.

According to the Independent in Ireland on Thursday, Justice Paul McDermott refused two challenges to Apple's plans to build the data center in Derrydonnell, Athenry. While the ruling has not been made public, the two challenges to the proposal appear to have been shot down because the petitioners didn't correctly follow procedures to discuss the concerns with the Galway County Council prior to the court hearing.

Apple unveiled plans to build in Denmark and Athenry on the same day in February 2016. The project in Viborg, Denmark is very near completion, and the first of two Irish data center projects Apple wants in the region is only just now exiting the planning phases.

The main spearhead behind the resistance to the Athenry data center was Allan Daly. Daly is an American-born immigrant and environmental engineer, and raised multiple objections to the data center. Daly's concerns centered around strain on the Irish electrical grid and no apparent plans to cope with greenhouse gas emissions from the data center.

Apple's project was initially approved by Irish planning councils, but Daly and fellow residents Sinead Fitzpatrick and Brian McDonagh appealed the decision to Ireland's An Bord Pleanala in Sept. 2015. The appeal wasn't granted, forcing Daly to the High Court for review of the case.

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At Thursday's hearing, McDonagh said that he had no objections to Apple being in Athenry, but wanted to assure that "proper planning procedures" were followed.

A hearing in June about the matter was postponed over "a lack of judges" available to hear the case. The manpower shortage wasn't that transparent, until a six-person delegation from the "Apple for Athenry" advocacy group arrived and found it closed.

Apple's effort wasn't the only one that Daly wants stopped. Daly continues to battle a $1 billion Amazon data center in Dublin.

17 Comments

[Deleted User] 12 Years · 0 comments

About 7 years ago

How can 1 guy cause so much disruption? I'm guessing he has friends in high places or money behind him.

Incidentally, I notice he's not even from Ireland originally. I find a similar theme here in the North of Scotland, incomers to the area will dictate to and complain about locals who have been here for generations claiming to speak for the majority and for the greater good. "white settlers" we call em here.

muadibe 14 Years · 136 comments

Shouldn’t that be quashed instead of squashed?

lkrupp 20 Years · 10521 comments

AppleInsider said:

The main spearhead behind the resistance to the Athenry data center was Allan Daly. Daly is an American-born immigrant and environmental engineer, and raised multiple objections to the data center. Daly's concerns centered around strain on the Irish electrical grid and no apparent plans to cope with greenhouse gas emissions from the data center.

What greenhouse gas emissions would this data center produce? What strain on the Irish electrical grid? I can understand that 100% renewal solar won’t be as efficient in Ireland because of the climate. These sound like straw man arguments by a radical activist hell bent on stopping progress.

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rotateleftbyte 13 Years · 1636 comments

lkrupp said:

What greenhouse gas emissions would this data center produce? What strain on the Irish electrical grid? I can understand that 100% renewal solar won’t be as efficient in Ireland because of the climate. These sound like straw man arguments by a radical activist hell bent on stopping progress.

Probably the emissions from the 'long drop' composting toilet that will be used. :wink:

radarthekat 13 Years · 3938 comments

lkrupp said:

AppleInsider said:

The main spearhead behind the resistance to the Athenry data center was Allan Daly. Daly is an American-born immigrant and environmental engineer, and raised multiple objections to the data center. Daly's concerns centered around strain on the Irish electrical grid and no apparent plans to cope with greenhouse gas emissions from the data center.

What greenhouse gas emissions would this data center produce? What strain on the Irish electrical grid? I can understand that 100% renewal solar won’t be as efficient in Ireland because of the climate. These sound like straw man arguments by a radical activist hell bent on stopping progress.

You’d think data centers would be what environmentalists would hope to attract to their area. Gotta be a better presence than, say, an automobile plant or other type of manufacturing plant, which come with significant transportation of raw materials in and products out, on top of the energy and emissions involved in the manufacturing itself. Data centers ship electrons in and electrons out, with some heat as a byproduct of the process; heat that can be used to warm homes or put to other uses, as I believe Apple planned for this particular data center.