A GENERATIONAL opportunity offered by artificial intelligence will be squandered unless the review of the National Development Plan (NDP) delivers a major rebalancing of infrastructure investment across Ireland, MEP Michael McNamara (IND) has said.
Ireland South MEP, McNamara in a submission to the new Development Plan argues that the NDP must move beyond a ‘Greater Dublin Area-only’ strategy and focus on unlocking the untapped potential of the Mid-West.
He emphasised that Ireland’s overconcentration of infrastructure in Dublin, where electricity and water systems are already overstretched, is forcing major tech investors to look elsewhere.
McNamara who is Co-Chair of the European Parliament’s AI Working Group stated, “We need a national strategy that connects infrastructure investment to where the capacity actually exists. Regions like Clare and Limerick are ideal locations for AI and data infrastructure, yet remain sidelined. The Mid-West could and should become a natural home for Ireland’s growing digital and AI infrastructure needs”.
Scariff native Michael pointed to stark economic imbalances, highlighting that Dublin accounted for 54% of all corporation tax collected in 2024, while just 2.2% came from Clare and Limerick combined. He also referenced the findings of the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce, which identified massive potential for clean energy generation, including up to 30GW of offshore wind, as well as opportunities in bio-methane and large-scale decarbonised industry.
He cited concerns that data centres have already used up all spare capacity, but pointed to the Mid-West as one of the few regions with grid availability for Large Energy Users, while also questioning the sustainability of projects like the multi-billion euro Shannon-to-Dublin pipeline, which could impact Ardnacrusha’s generation capacity and the Lower Shannon’s ecosystem.
“We cannot allow outdated planning to dictate Ireland’s digital future. If we’re serious about developing a digital and AI-driven economy, then we must have a coherent approach to where we locate infrastructure, investing in the regions that actually have the space, the energy, and the capacity to support it – not just the political clout,” McNamara concluded.
