Apple

The Commercial Court has cleared the way for tech giant Apple to develop a data hall in Athenry, Co Galway, the first phase of a planned €850 million development.

Mr Justice Paul McDermott, in separate judgments yesterday, rejected two judicial review challenges to the planned data hall at Derrydonnell, Athenry, the first of eight such halls Apple may build over a 15-year period.

The judge noted Apple had recognised each hall was a “stand alone development” and the other seven data halls provided for in its “master plan” may or may not proceed in the future and were subject to “market demand”.

The reality is the other planned halls and associated grid connection will require planning permission and a further Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), he said.

The permission at issue concerned Phase 1, a 23,505sq m single-storey data hall, a logistics and administration centre, ancillary and associated works. The master plan for all phases of the data centre envisaged eight data halls in total plus other development, including an electricity subrstation and 144 standby diesel generators, to be built over 15 years.

Some 300 jobs are forecast to be created over multiple phases of construction and ongoing employment in the operation of the centre with 150 technical staff to be employed on an ongoing basis.