An Offaly company has welcomed planning permission for a multi-billion-euro development, which it says represents “a transformational project” for the midlands.

Lumcloon Energy, an Irish company dedicated to supporting Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon electricity system, was responding to Westmeath County Council’s decision to grant planning permission for its Red Admiral development — a data centre campus co-located with its own dedicated clean energy centre.

Planning approval was granted by Westmeath County Council for the large data centre, with a massive solar farm, on a 600-acre (243ha), subject to 32 conditions.

Among the conditions are that the applicant pays €8.24m in development contributions in respect of public infrastructure and facilities.

A special levy of €289,367 is also being applied to deal with the long term damage to the road network used as a haul route for the development.

The applicants have previously indicated that the project would provide an estimated 760 direct jobs and an additional 1,000 indirect jobs during a five-year construction phase.

Details in the planning documentation indicate that some 360-440 of these jobs will involve on-site employees.

The new data centre will be unique in being co-located with a hybrid energy system using a combination of solar energy and fuel cell technology to generate power as well as a 250MW x 2hr energy storage facility. This design will allow the use of renewable energy via the national grid and generation locally at high efficiency.

The application was lodged directly with Westmeath County Council followed a ruling by An Coimisiún Pleanála that the proposed the development was not a Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) and could not be submitted directly to the planning commission.

It’s highly likely the planning approval will be appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála

The data centre, originally proposed in July of 2025, has been the subject of more than 60 objections.

Lumcloon Energy welcomed Westmeath County Council’s decision to grant planning permission.

In a statement, it said the project would “deliver a next-generation data centre campus co-located with its own dedicated clean energy centre”.

It said the campus would become “a flagship for the Midlands”, with a future-proofed design built around low water and low resource consumption.

It said the project reflects the digitalisation and decarbonisation at the heart of Government policy, supporting the sustainable growth of the digital economy and a low-carbon energy future.

Nigel Reams, Chief Executive of Lumcloon Energy, said: “Red Admiral will be a transformational project for the Midlands, delivering significant investment, employment and regional growth.

 

“A next-generation data centre campus powered by its own dedicated clean energy centre is exactly the kind of ‘twin transition’ digitalisation and decarbonisation together, that Government policy is calling for, and we are proud to be delivering a future-proofed flagship for the region.”

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