Apple has announced it will no longer be building a $1 billion (€850 million) data centre in Ireland, after planning delays that have lasted over three years.

Since 2015, the data centre which was planned to be built in Athernry has seen nothing but stalls in the approval process. The construction of the data centre was never even started.

“Despite our best efforts, delays in the approval process have forced us to make other plans and we will not be able to move forward with the data centre,” Apple said in a statement.

“While disappointing, this setback will not dampen our enthusiasm for future projects in Ireland as our business continues to grow.” Apple still has 6,000 employees at its European Headquarters, located in County Cork, where it plans to expand.

According to The Irish Times, the proposed construction of the data centre in Athenry would have created around 300 jobs over multiple phases, while 150 technical staff would have been employed to run the centre once completed. The Athenry location would have also ensured the centre was close to green energy sources.

In a statement, Ireland’s minister for business, enterprise and innovation Heather Humphreys said,“The Government, together with IDA Ireland, did everything it could to support this investment. This included high-level engagement with the company, both at home and abroad. Ultimately, in spite of these efforts, Apple has taken a commercial decision not to proceed, making it clear that the delays that beset this project caused them to reconsider their plan.”

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