On 18 February 2025, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities
(CRU) published its proposed decision paper on the eagerly awaited
Large Energy Users (“LEU”) Connection Policy
(CRU/202504) (the “LEU Policy”).
The LEU Policy follows a public consultation held by CRU at the
beginning of 2024, and outlines conditions to be satisfied by any
new data centres seeking to connect to the Irish electricity
grid.
Demand from data centres is forecasted to account for 30% of
Ireland's electricity consumption in 2032 and the LEU Policy
seeks to find a balance between facilitating further data centre
activity and ensuring that Ireland can meet its climate
targets.
Key Elements of the Proposed LEU Policy
