S3 E16: Data Centre connection policy published & EU grid package

The Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s quashing of An Coimisiún Pleanála’s refusal of the Coolglass Wind Farm in Laois, because the commission failed to consider whether the county development plan complied with the Climate Act. The Court held that public bodies must, “insofar as practicable”, perform their functions consistently with climate objectives, and that this duty is enforceable. The case is remitted to the commission. Statkraft and environmental groups welcomed the ruling, which they say confirms that planning and regulatory decisions must deliver real emissions reductions and may have wider implications for bodies such as the CRU and its data‑centre stance.

Welcome to 'The Irish Energy Update' – the podcast that's your go-to source for the latest news in Ireland's dynamic energy sector - delivered in just 5 minutes or less!Experience the thrill of staying ahead of the curve, the confidence to make informed decisions, and the satisfaction of being a driving force in Ireland's energy sector – all within a podcast that fits seamlessly into your daily life!

The RESS 6 consultation outlines proposed changes to auction Terms and Conditions and seeks stakeholder views before final rules issue in Q2 2026. It focuses on refining Community Benefit Funds (moving to deemed output and tying setup to ION), potentially extending the 15‑year support duration and phasing support, updating capacity factors, and lengthening Relief Event windows. It proposes raising minimum MEC to 1 MW, limiting eligibility to onshore wind, solar and hybrids, and moving to technology‑specific pots. It questions keeping UAEC alongside new Energy System Integration criteria, revisits repowering rules, and considers longer market reference price periods. Submissions close 13 March

Welcome to 'The Irish Energy Update' – the podcast that's your go-to source for the latest news in Ireland's dynamic energy sector - delivered in just 5 minutes or less!Experience the thrill of staying ahead of the curve, the confidence to make informed decisions, and the satisfaction of being a driving force in Ireland's energy sector – all within a podcast that fits seamlessly into your daily life!

Welcome to 'The Irish Energy Update' – the podcast that's your go-to source for the latest news in Ireland's dynamic energy sector - delivered in just 5 minutes or less!Experience the thrill of staying ahead of the curve, the confidence to make informed decisions, and the satisfaction of being a driving force in Ireland's energy sector – all within a podcast that fits seamlessly into your daily life!

DCEE's publication on the net zero industry act which has major implications on this years RESS auction and all future renewable energy auctions in Ireland

As a new years gift and in honour of this being our 50th episode we have a special one for you today. Welcome to this 'reeling in the year' episode where we have handpicked the top stories from each month across the year for your entertainment purposes only! I hope this can bring back feelings of happiness and pride for what we as an industry achieved in the last year because what a year 2025 was.

CRU publishes its decision on a new electricity connection policy for data centresThe european commission publishes new grid package to boost renewable development.

Ireland publishes ambitious infrastructure action planIWFA conference in Kilkenny asks for changes to S-RESS

County Clare named as site for strategic gas reserve ESB and Ørsted announced as winners of the O-RESS 2.1 auction.