Residents of Clondalkin are having trouble sleeping because of the “vacuum cleaner” like sound of a nearby data centre.
South Dublin County Council Mayor Francis Timmons, who also represents Clondalkin where the Echelon Data Centre is located, was contacted by a number of residents over the summer, all complaining of severe disruptions from the data centre.
On Newstalk Breakfast, the independent councillor said for most of his constituents, the problems begin at night.
“They've sent me videos and several reports of a humming type sound,” he explained.
“Most residents would compare it to something like a vacuum cleaner going constantly.
“It's fairly loud, I would say, and disruptive to quality of life.
“People [are] reporting difficulty sleeping at night time to sitting out in the back garden and enjoying the garden.”
Cllr Timmons added that his constituents need a good night’s sleep and feel the data centre has become “detrimental to the quality of life” in the area.
Since residents raised their concerns, the EPA has begun an investigation and issued the data centre with a series of probing questions.
“The data centre removed a generator and they also sorted some kind of a roof mounted chilling system - but that hasn't sorted the problem,” Cllr Timmons said.
“It's still ongoing, so they have done stuff, but it's just it hasn't sorted the problem.
“As I said, it's come to a kind of a crisis at the end; the residents want to sort it out.”
Since the EPA began its investigation, more residents have got in touch with Cllr Timmons and he promised that South Dublin County Council takes the issue “pretty seriously”.
Future of data centres
Data centres have powered the vast growth in digital services and phone use in Irish society in recent years.
Supporters describe them as an essential feature of a modern economy, while critics note they consume vast amounts of energy.
Currently, roughly 22% of Irish energy is consumed by data centres, with that figure forecast to rise to 30% by 2030.
Main image: A data centre. Picture by: Dmitriy Shironosov / Alamy Stock Photo
