Apple scrap plans for €850m Athenry data centre following continued planning delays

The eight data halls met with local opposition ever since they were first announced in 2015.

Apple has scrapped plans to develop a new data centre in Athenry, County Galway. This decision comes after delays in the approval process forced the company to make other plans. The company first announced its intentions to create around 300 jobs in Athenry back in February 2017 as part of a €1.7bn investment in Ireland and Denmark, which would be its first two data centres outside the US. Selecting the 500-acre Coillte-owned site on account of the fact that it could accommodate eight data halls, the €850m facility was also planned to run on 100% renewable energy. Initially, it was predicted that operations would be up and running in 2017, but the project experienced delays in planning as local residents raised concerns that it may negatively affect the surrounding environments. In a statement, Apple said: "We’ve been operating in Ireland since 1980 and we're proud of the many contributions we make to the economy and job creation. "In the last two years we've spent over €550 million with local companies and, all told, our investment and innovation supports more than 25,000 jobs up and down the country. We're deeply committed to our employees and customers in Ireland and are expanding our operations in Cork, with a new facility for our talented team there. "Several years ago we applied to build a data centre at Athenry. Despite our best efforts, delays in the approval process have forced us to make other plans and we will not be able to move forward with the data centre. "While disappointing, this setback will not dampen our enthusiasm for future projects in Ireland as our business continues to grow."