Government sets out new plan to manage energy-hungry industries and protect power supply
Large Energy User Action Plan aims to steer data centres and major industrial projects towards renewables while safeguarding energy security and affordability
Thursday 14th January 2026 | 📧 editor@ipropertyradio.com
The Government has published a new Large Energy User Action Plan (LEAP), setting out how Ireland intends to manage the growth of energy-intensive industries such as data centres, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, while protecting electricity supply, supporting the green transition and avoiding higher costs for households.
Approved by Cabinet on Tuesday, the plan has been jointly published by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke TD, and the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien TD. It introduces a more coordinated, “plan-led” approach to where and how very large energy users locate in Ireland, particularly beyond 2030.
At the centre of LEAP is the idea that the largest new energy demands should be located close to renewable energy sources, including offshore wind. This would be achieved through the development of “green energy parks”, where energy-intensive industries are co-located with renewable generation, storage and grid infrastructure, rather than competing with homes and businesses for limited electricity capacity.
According to the Government, this approach is designed to allow Ireland to continue attracting high-value foreign and indigenous investment, while reducing pressure on the national grid and supporting long-term energy security. Energy-intensive sectors are seen as strategically important because of their scale, export value and employment impact, but their electricity demand also requires careful coordination with national infrastructure planning.
LEAP sets out 17 key actions across areas including electricity grid investment, planning policy, regulatory reform and demand flexibility. These include progressing unprecedented levels of grid investment to 2030, preparing a new National Planning Statement for green energy parks, and developing new connection and tariff arrangements that encourage large users to consume electricity when renewable generation is plentiful and reduce demand at peak times.
For consumers, the Government says the plan is intended to help protect affordability by ensuring that new industrial demand does not drive up electricity costs or undermine reliability. By aligning future large developments with renewable energy supply and storage, LEAP aims to avoid expensive last-minute grid upgrades and reduce the risk of higher network charges being passed on to households and smaller businesses.
The plan also provides clarity on the future of data centre development. Alongside the updated Large Energy Users Connection Policy published by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities in December 2025, LEAP confirms that new data centres will continue to be assessed against strict criteria, including their contribution to economic activity, efficient use of renewables and impact on grid constraints. The Government says opportunities for additional data centres in the greater Dublin area will remain very limited due to existing capacity pressures, with future growth expected to be more regionally focused.
Minister Peter Burke said the plan would help regions across Ireland attract the next generation of strategic industry, supporting long-term employment and reinforcing Ireland’s position as a global location for knowledge-intensive sectors. Minister Darragh O’Brien said aligning future industrial development with renewable energy, infrastructure delivery and other priorities such as housing and transport was critical to maintaining energy security and affordability.
The Government has stressed that LEAP does not ban energy-intensive developments outside designated green energy parks. Projects may still proceed under existing planning arrangements, particularly in the period before 2030. However, it expects that the very largest projects will increasingly be directed towards strategically planned locations where energy, infrastructure and land use can be coordinated in advance.
An expert study on green energy park concepts and international examples has also been published alongside the plan and will inform future site identification and planning decisions.
