Ireland’s Red Admiral is set to submit plans for a 600-acre data center in Westmeath County.

The land parcel, which is currently zoned for agricultural use, is located near the village of Rochfortbridge.

The company recently gave public notice of its plans. In Ireland, public notice must be given when a land development is proposed.

This follows a ruling from Ireland’s planning body, An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP), which states that the development would not be considered a Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID). It means that the proposal will come before the local planning authority – Westmeath County Council – and not ACP.

If ACP had decided to consider the proposal a SID, then ACP would also have been the body deciding whether permission for the project would be granted or denied.

Westmeath County Council’s decision can be appealed after it is made, at which point the fate of the development will be determined by ACP. Recent examples include proposed data centers in northwest Dublin and County Mayo.

Reports of a 250MW facility first surfaced in November 2023. Plans for the facility were submitted to ACP by Red Admiral in December 2024.

Notably, the facility will use fuel cells provided by SK Ecoplant, which forms part of the South Korean conglomerate SK Group.

The submission also includes a 410-acre solar farm located east of the facility.

Red Admiral is a subsidiary of Irish energy firm Lumcloon Energy. The latter already has a presence in Rochfortbridge, as evidenced by its plans to develop a 65MW battery storage facility and a 275MW natural gas power plant.

The data center industry has faced significant opposition from the Irish public. Concerns have been raised about the potential environmental impact of new facilities and their impact on Ireland’s energy grid.