Apple will defend its Ireland data center plans this month

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Irish flag
New data center will be one of Apple's biggest projects in Europe to date.
Photo: John Hoey/Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s proposed 850 million euro ($960 million) data centre in Athenry, Ireland may be one of the most environmentally-friendly projects the company has yet put its name to, but that’s not stopping locals from kicking up a fuss about it.

This month, Apple will defend its plans during a hearing to be held on Tuesday 24 May in Galway City, when Cupertino representatives will attempt to convince An Bord Pleanála, an independent, statutory body which decides on appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in Ireland.

Apple's proposed data center in Ireland.
Apple’s proposed data center in Ireland.
Photo: Apple

Points against the 500-acre data center site — which will help power Apple Music, the App Store, iMessages, Maps and Siri — include the potential impact it will have on local wildlife (particularly bats and badgers), the amount of traffic it will create, possible drainage issues, and concerns over the amount of power it will require. Apple had planned to start building on the site by the end of last year, although this has been delayed.

According to today’s report, such oral hearings aren’t unusual for major infrastructure projects in Ireland, but Apple will nonetheless need to convince a panel of planners that it is carrying out its work in the greenest and most sustainable way possible.

It’s times like this that Steve Jobs’ public speaking abilities are missed enormously!

Source: Galway Independent

Via: Business Insider

 

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