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Pure DC
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Pure DC

Irish data-centre developer that operationalised Europe's first 110 MW behind-the-meter microgrid in Dublin; now the working CRU-compliance template.

Pure DC's 110 MW Dublin microgrid, live since April 2026, is the working template for Ireland's CRU2025236 on-site generation rule; EirGrid's 900 MW demand-loss cap from 30 June 2026 sharpens the case for staying off-grid.

Last refreshed: 4 August 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Is Pure DC's microgrid the model every European operator will copy to skip the grid queue?

Timeline for Pure DC

#12 29 Jul

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#12 28 Jul

Mentioned in: Dublin slips to 15% as growth heads north

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#10 29 Jun

Mentioned in: Ireland codes a 900 MW load-loss limit

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#7 16 Jun

Mentioned in: Irish regulators split over data centres

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#5 30 May

Mentioned in: Singapore prices its conditions up front

Data Centres: Boom and Backlash
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Background

Pure DC is an Irish data-centre developer whose 110 MW Dublin microgrid, commissioned in March 2026 with engineering partner AVK, is Ireland's first behind-the-meter facility built explicitly to sit outside the regulated grid. The site runs on gas generation with biomethane and hydrotreated vegetable oil switching capability, and the design has since been confirmed as the working compliance template for the CRU's on-site generation rule.

The company also holds a UK presence at Cobalt Park in North Tyneside, an AI Growth Zone development shared with Blackstone and Nscale projects, though the bundle does not detail the scale or status of that site beyond its existence.

behind-the-meter generation of this kind is emerging as a template for operators shut out of constrained grids elsewhere in Europe. Pure DC's Dublin project is the first to be formally validated against Ireland's CRU2025236 rule, which requires new data centres to demonstrate on-site dispatchable generation; whether other jurisdictions adopt a similar route, or Ireland's model stays a local fix, remains open.

Key Issues
Dublin microgrid

Pure DC's microgrid dodges the grid queue

Pure DC commissioned Europe's first 110 MW data-centre microgrid in Dublin in March 2026, engineered with AVK on gas generation with biomethane and hydrotreated vegetable oil switching capability . By staying off EirGrid's regulated network, the site sidesteps both the connection queue and the CRU's 80% Irish-renewables requirement for grid-connected data centres, while still satisfying CRU2025236's on-site generation mandate .

The regulatory case for that route strengthened on 30 June, when EirGrid and SONI set a 900 MW ceiling on instantaneous demand loss for grid-connected data centres, warning of imbalance above 1,150 MW . Every constraint tightened on the grid side widens the commercial gap in favour of Pure DC's off-grid model, watched by other European operators facing similar queue pressure.

Common Questions
How does EirGrid's new fault-ride-through rule affect Pure DC's Irish operations?
EirGrid's 30 June 2026 fault-ride-through procedure caps instantaneous demand loss for grid-connected data centres at 900 MW. Pure DC's flagship microgrid is behind-the-meter and outside that ceiling, but the rule strengthens the commercial argument for the off-grid model it pioneered.Source: data-centres update 10
Is Pure DC's microgrid model being copied by other European data centre operators?
The model is being watched across Europe. CRU formally confirmed it as the working compliance template in April 2026. With EirGrid blocking new grid connections in Dublin, behind-the-meter generation is the only viable route for new capacity in the Dublin market, creating strong commercial incentive for replication.Source: data-centres update 2
How did Pure DC's Dublin project bypass Ireland's CRU renewables rule?
CRU's rule (CRU2025236) applies to grid-connected data centres and requires 80% of annual demand from additional Irish-sited renewables within six years. Pure DC's behind-the-meter microgrid is off the regulated network, so the renewables obligation does not apply. Instead, it meets the separate on-site dispatchable generation requirement.Source: CRU / data-centres update 2
What is Pure DC's 110 MW Dublin microgrid and how does it work?
Pure DC commissioned Europe's first 110 MW data-centre microgrid in Dublin in March 2026, with AVK as engineering partner. It uses gas generation with biomethane and HVO switching capability. By generating power on-site and staying off EirGrid's regulated network, the facility bypasses both the grid-connection queue and the CRU 80% renewables obligation.Source: data-centres updates 1 and 2
Why is the Irish grid queue so long for data centres?
Ireland's electricity network faces unprecedented demand from data centres concentrated around Dublin, pushing EirGrid's connection queue to multi-year wait times and prompting the CRU's stricter renewables conditions.Source: Lowdown data-centres briefing
What is Ireland's CRU rule on data centre renewables?
CRU2025236, issued December 2025, requires new grid-connected data centres to source 80% of their annual electricity demand from additional Irish-sited renewables within six years of energisation.Source: CRU2025236
What is Cobalt Park and what is Pure DC's role there?
Cobalt Park is an AI Growth Zone in North Tyneside, UK, that includes data-centre developments by Pure DC, Blackstone, and Nscale. OpenAI paused its separate Stargate Cobalt Park site in April 2026 citing energy costs and regulatory conditions; Pure DC's component continues.Source: data-centres update 1
Source Material
CRU2025236 — Data Centre Connection PolicyPure DC official site