LEU Market Intelligence Exercise
Prepared by the Electricity and Gas System Operators as directed by the CRU, May 2025
In the Paper it sets out a requirement for the electricity and gas system operators (“SOs”) to conduct a market intelligence exercise. Specifically, in order to better understand the scale of potential medium-term demand from prospective data centres, to inform System Operators, CRU and Government of the risks and potential consequences of seeking to meet such potential demand, and to help inform the potential development of a plan led approach to enable the continued future development of the data centre sector in Ireland, the CRU has asked the electricity and gas SOs to conduct a market intelligence exercise to:
- Gather information from industry and other relevant stakeholders to understand the expectations for future data centre demand over the next 15 years including timelines, scale (MW size), ramp rates, demand profile (continuous demand or time varying), location preferences, proposed generation and the facility’s ability to provide flexible demand.
- Understand, for existing data centre connections, where there is excess or unused but contracted capacity, if can this capacity be returned to the system.
- Once stakeholder information from the market intelligence exercise is received, the System Operators shall review the information to assess the scale of projected demand to determine what level of analysis may be required. The System Operators will be expected to engage with the CRU and relevant Government Departments to advise on next steps.
- Carry out an analysis of this information to identify energy system needs, such as energy supply and energy transmission capacity required, for Ireland to deliver future data centre connections, with reference to existing regulatory and/or SO frameworks for delivery and any new options which could be considered.
The SOs will report their findings to the CRU and it is envisaged that the initial information gathered will be provided to the CRU in advance of the full assessment being carried out.
The SOs consist of EirGrid as the Transmission System Operator, ESB Networks (“ESBN”) as the Distribution System Operator and Gas Networks Ireland (“GNI”) as the gas transmission and system operator.
You are invited to complete the questionnaire below and provide the information requested no later than the close of business 25th July 2025.
The CRU has noted the significant interactions between the electricity and gas networks, in particular where dispatchable or back-up generation is being sought, therefore these interactions are to be captured in the assessment. The CRU has further noted that the information from industry can be provided on a confidential basis and anonymised to CRU and the relevant Government Departments, notwithstanding any legal obligations public bodies are subject to in relation to the disclosure of information.
As a public body under the Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) Regulations 2007 (as amended), and a partially-included agency under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2014 (as amended), records and information held by the System Operators may be subject to access requests by members of the public. These requests can result in records and information being made public, where exemptions do not apply to prevent their release.
Parties making submissions should be aware that submission may be the subject of access requests under the AIE Regulations and/or the FOI Act. Parties making submissions as part of the Market Intelligence Exercise are requested to indicate whether they consider their submission has been provided in confidence and on the understanding that it would be treated by the System Operators as confidential, and whether they consider their submission is, in whole or in part, commercially sensitive.
Parties making submissions as part of the Market Intelligence Exercise are requested to indicate whether they consider their submission has been provided in confidence and on the understanding that it would be treated by the System Operators as confidential, and whether they consider their submission is, in whole or in part, commercially sensitive.
The data and analysis provided to CRU may be used to inform future policy development, e.g. a potential State-led strategic approach to delivery of utility infrastructure for data centres in the medium term, and to highlight any risks arising in relation to accommodating organic economic growth. This work will be carried out in parallel with this ongoing review and will be focussed on informing the medium-term approach. With this in mind we request that all responses provided are done so with the highest possible degree of accuracy, noting that this will be on a best endeavours basis and may be subject to change over time.
The provision of information to this questionnaire provides no guarantee of a future connection offer for an energy utility connection and will be used solely for the purposes outlined above.
Please highlight any responses in the questionnaire which you deem to be commercially sensitive and provide reasons for same in the text box provided at the end of the questionnaire.