Data centre electricity consumption up 10%, CSO says

By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association

The metered electricity consumption by data centres rose by 10 per cent last year, now accounting for almost a quarter of all usage, according to latest figures.

The percentage share of total metered electricity consumption used by data centres rose to 23 per cent in 2025, up from five per cent in 2015.

The Central Statistics Office said metered electricity consumption by data centres rose to 6,973 Gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2024 to 7,663 GWh in 2025.

Large Energy Users, which include significant data centres, accounted for the largest overall share of total consumption at 33 per cent in 2025.

Their annual usage rose nine per cent since 2024 to reach 10,812 GWh

Consumption by all other users, including residential and other business customers, went up by two per cent over the same period.

Total metered electricity consumption rose by 34 per cent between 2015 and 2025

Dr Grzegorz Glaczynski, a statistician in the climate and energy division, said: “Data centre consumption has grown every single year without exception, more than doubling between 2015 and 2019 from 1,240 GWh to 2,490 GWh, and tripling again between 2019 and 2025, reaching 7,663 GWh.”