Ireland Requires 10 MW-Plus Data Centers to Self-Supply 80% of Demand From Onsite Renewables
Ireland's Large Energy User Action Plan (LEAP) obliges data centers of 10 MW or more to cover at least 80% of their energy demand with new onsite renewable generation and storage, according to pv magazine.
The threshold applies to the country's largest single category of electricity demand. Data centers took 23% of national electricity consumption in Ireland in 2025, pv magazine reported.
Grid spending is moving alongside the demand rules. The Irish government announced an EUR 18.9 billion (USD 22.2 billion) investment package for electricity grid infrastructure out to 2030 in December 2025, according to pv magazine.
The onsite requirement pushes new solar and storage build behind the meter rather than through the transmission connection queue. Ireland's installed solar base gives a sense of the scale involved: Solar Ireland's 2026 market outlook report estimates total connected solar capacity will surpass 3.3 GW by the end of 2026, as cited by pv magazine.
That estimate covers all connected solar in the country, not capacity dedicated to large energy users, leaving the LEAP obligation to be met by generation and storage that operators build on their own sites.
Source: pv-magazine.com (opens in a new tab)1 sourcePermalink