€200m data centres planned for Cork
JCD Group, the commercial property company owned by developer John Cleary, is awaiting planning permission to develop the 32-acre site at the former Mitsui Denman plant in Little Island.
The development will create 150 permanent jobs and hundreds more during construction with the first phase of the project set to deliver three separate data centres.
Demand for the 25,550 sq m site has been strong to date, according to a JCD spokesperson.
“ Subject to receiving satisfactory planning permission we intend commencing site works immediately with a view to delivering the first data centre by mid-2017,” he said.
The developers have access to a 60MW electrical grid connection to the adjoining substation in Little Island, for delivery in 2017 which will provide enough power to support the proposed data centres while maintaining additional capacity to support future expansion.
The proposed campus represents another part of the city’s modern infrastructure jigsaw after its connectivity was substantially improved as a result of the Hibernia Network subsea cable which landing in Cork last year.
As a result of the cable, Cork can offer the shortest data transfer delay, or latency, between the EU and US east coast.
It also has a proven pool of IT talent and long track record of supporting significant global tech companies such as Apple, EMC and Intel.
The delivery of the subsea cable which has opened the region up to new sectors utilising cloud-based technology is already acting as a catalyst for other developments across the region as evidenced by JCD’s plans, according to Cork Chamber chief executive Conor Healy.
“Cork’s infrastructure will be significantly enhanced as a result of this planned development and will position this region in particular to grow the information and communications technology, financial services and digital sectors for years to come.
“Data centre provision in Cork is required to underpin the continued growth of the tech market and to meet demands, which continue to grow exponentially,” Mr Healy said.
The Mitsui site was sold by agents Rob Coughlan and Brian Olden of Cohalan Downing for KPMG earlier this year.
The price paid is thought to be close to €100,000 per acre although JCD has not commented on the site cost.