Apple revives plan for €850m data centre in Athenry

Tech giant seeks extension of planning permission due to ‘renewed importance’ of the project

An aerial view of the site of Apple’s shelved data centre in Athenry, Co Galway: the project is now likely to be revived.

Apple, the technology giant, is set to make a second attempt to develop an €850 million data centre in Athenry, Co Galway.

The US company has submitted a fresh application to Galway County Council seeking a five-year extension to the planning permission it was first awarded in 2016 to develop a data centre on the 490 acre site it owns at Derrydonnell.

Planning permission for the centre is set to expire in September this year and Apple is seeking to extend planning approval to 2026, according to documents seen by the Business Post.