Welcoming news of further potential employment in Arklow.
A second phase is understood to have been earmarked for either further data centre development, or for the generation of renewable power.
Given the Kish data centre is a similar size to Echelon’s first 100MW Arklow centre, it could involve an investment of around €500m from the Dublin company.
Announced last year, the original Arklow data centre, located at the Avoca River Park, is set to create 450 construction jobs, followed by another 90 positions to operate the facility.
Echelon Data Centres has agreed to purchase a site at the Kish Business Park in Arklow as it looks to develop a second data centre in the Co Wicklow town.
It is understood that Irish-owned Echelon’s newly acquired site covers 60 acres of land, with development expected to be undertaken in two phases. The first phase could see the construction of a 100MW, 450,000 sq ft data centre.
A second phase is understood to have been earmarked for either further data centre development, or for the generation of renewable power.
Given the Kish data centre is a similar size to Echelon’s first 100MW Arklow centre, it could involve an investment of around €500m from the Dublin company. Announced last year, the original Arklow data centre, located at the Avoca River Park, is set to create 450 construction jobs, followed by another 90 positions to operate the facility.
A spokesman for Echelon, which is owned by Aldgate Developments, confirmed its plan for a second data centre in Arklow.
“Echelon Data Centres can confirm that it has agreed to purchase a site on the Kish Business Park as part of expansion plans to be a major owner and operator of data centres throughout Europe,” he said.
“The new site is ideally located to be developed, in conjunction with Echelon’s existing Irish sites in Arklow and Dublin, as part of a data centre availability zone which can best meet the requirements of international companies whose businesses rely on being able to handle large amounts of data.
“Additionally, our sites in Kish and Arklow have excellent potential to benefit from the supply of renewable energy, which is a vital factor in Echelon’s commitment to the sustainable development of facilities which meet the growing global demand for data centre capacity.”
The company would not comment on the size of the data centre, the required investment or the number of jobs it could create.
Echelon Data Centres was founded by Aldgate Developments director Niall Molloy in the second half of 2018.
Last year, the company announced it would build two data centres in Ireland, both of which would be 100MW developments, in Clondalkin, Dublin, and Arklow, representing a total investment of €1bn.