OVER 500 JOBS are to be created as planning permission has been granted by An Bord Pleanála for a €500 million data centre in Co Wicklow. 

Echelon Data Centres was granted planning permission for the facility to be built at the Avoca River Business Park in Arklow. 

The €500 million development will create 540 jobs – 450 in construction and 90 full-time operational roles. 

Echelon Data Centres is a data centre owner, developer and operator building a network of large-scale data centre campuses across Europe.

Planning permission was originally granted by Wicklow County Council in February 2019, but was the subject of an appeal which has now been dismissed.

“Clearly, the decision removes a significant uncertainty for us and clears the path to delivering a facility that will enhance Ireland’s developing data centre offer, meeting growing demand from global organisations in ecommerce, telecommunications, digital broadcasting, AI and the internet of things,” Graeme McWilliams, COO of Echelon Data Centres said. 

Echelon is owned by Aldgate Developments, which has more than one million square foot of commercial development in progress in Dublin and London.

Echelon said it is committed to finding 100% green and renewable solutions – wind, solar, biomass – to provide sustainable power options to all of its data centres.