The Tallaght District Heating Scheme will use waste heat from a data centre in Tallaght to provide low carbon heat to nearby public buildings.

The Scheme, which will be the first of its kind not for profit, publicly owned District Heating Scheme in Ireland, will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the South Dublin County area by approximately 1,500 tonnes per year in its first phase.

The objective of the scheme is to decrease greenhouse gas emissions associated with the use of fossil fuels for heating in the area in order to contribute to national level renewable energy, energy efficiency and CO2 targets and establish Tallaght as a leader in innovation in the area of climate change.

The scheme is funded by the European Union's NWE Interreg HeatNet programme, a multi-million-euro fund for schemes that reduce CO2 emissions in Europe's north-west, by €4.5 million from the Project Ireland 2040 Climate Action Fund and through direct funding from South Dublin County Council.

Phase one of the Tallaght District Heating Scheme will provide heat to over 32,800msq of public buildings including South Dublin County Council’s office headquarters and the TU Dublin Tallaght campus. During normal operation, the connected buildings will be warmed by heat generated at the data centre. The subsequent phases of the project will facilitate the connection of other public, private, and residential customers in the Tallaght area including the proposed 133 affordable rental apartments in Tallaght, as well as further buildings within TU Dublin’s Tallaght Campus currently under construction.