170MW gas power plant for Microsoft

Microsoft is always virtuously showcasing their sustainability commitments in the press, but they go very, very quiet when their less green initiatives appear in the press.

They've been granted permission to build a 170MW gas power plant for their Dublin data centre at Grange Castle. This is a decision that is hugely at odds with their non-stop green claims.

This might help ease the strain on Ireland's national grid, but we have to ask at what cost and why are they persisting in building in a region with such high carbon intensity? Especially considering it will operate 8 hours a day, every day of the year.

Next time they tell you Cloud is more sustainable, just point at this article - it's increasingly not more sustainable, particularly not when you factor in cloud waste.

Leaning on fossil fuel power as a solution is a retrogressive step, particularly in a world increasingly aware of the critical need for renewable energy sources.

It's all the more ironic when Microsoft aspires to be carbon negative by 2030. This move contradicts their goal and raises questions about the sincerity of their pledge. Yes, energy reliability is critical cloud services, but so too is the journey towards genuine sustainability.

In a climate-conscious era, such developments are a stark reminder of the immense carbon footprint digital technology can leave. The issue at hand is not just about securing power for data centres but finding sustainable and innovative ways to do so. There are alternatives, not least selecting better locations

Unfortunately, this gas power plant is likely to increase Ireland's carbon emissions, a pretty major blow to the nation's decarbonisation efforts. It also begs the question - are we displacing renewable energy needed elsewhere to fuel data centre growth?

The tech sector's rapid expansion should not eclipse the urgency of our global climate crisis. We need more than promises of sustainability; we need actions that align with those promises.

Tech giants like Microsoft have the money, resources and influence to lead the charge in finding sustainable solutions. It's high time they take that role seriously and stop just virtue signalling.