Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Teachta Ahern as an rún Chomhaltaí Príobháideacha seo a chur chun cinn. Over 22% of the electricity we currently use is used by data centres. That is up from 5% in 2015, a rise of 531% over that period, the equivalent of almost 400,000 households. This is set to rise to over 30% by 2030 and 55% if projected growth continues. All the while, our grid is creaking at the seams. Major upgrades are needed immediately and well into the future if we are to build the houses and infrastructure we so desperately need to support our citizens. Speaking at the climate committee in March this year during a session on private wires, ICTU noted a scarce resource of labour, giving us a stark warning that we can either throw our resources at housing, reinforcing the grid and protecting our infrastructure or we throw those resources at data centres. Expanding grid capacity to facilitate data centre expansion is not only costing households more in electricity bills, it is also leapfrogging housing for electric connections. We are at a crossroads. A recent UN report on the environmental cost of AI's energy use cited Ireland specifically as a cautionary tale of energy demand running ahead of infrastructure. AI's growth completely outpaces energy planning. This is particularly concerning my constituency in north Kildare where the Herbata data centre proposed for Naas will create serious difficulties for future housing developments in the area and water quality. The truth is AI completely outpaces energy planning. We have to be concerned about the growth of data centres increasingly being driven by AI and numerous social media bots that spread disinformation and manipulate public debate. At a time when households are struggling with high energy costs and we, as a State, are striving to reduce emissions, serious questions must be asked about why we are dedicating so much energy infrastructure to activities that undermine the people's democracy in a Republic. Expecting the people in my constituency to pay to subsidise it beggars belief. Not only are data centres increasing household bills, they also directly impact the state of our environment. They will continue to contribute to our carbon footprint and our nation's emissions as they expand. Fines could be as much as €28 billion. We need a moratorium on data centres immediately and for the Government to properly tackle energy costs.

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