AWS Wins Final Fastnet Landing Station Approval

Jemima Davey, Data Center Dynamics
September 1, 2026

Amazon Web Services has secured planning approval for the cable landing station that will serve its Fastnet subsea cable in West Cork, Ireland. An Coimisiún Pleanála upheld the project after a local appeal, marking a further regulatory step beyond Cork County Council’s April approval.

The proposed station at Tullyneasky West will be Fastnet’s eastern terminal. The system is intended to connect County Cork with Maryland in the United States and would be AWS’s first wholly owned private transatlantic cable. The project includes a cable landing station, an ESB substation, a switch room and supporting external infrastructure.

The appeal raised concerns about nearby fuel tanks, traffic, noise and the visual effect on adjoining land. An inspector concluded that fire and environmental risks had been addressed, that the project would have limited traffic implications because the facility will not be staffed full-time, and that its visual impact would not exceed that of existing buildings at the site.

Fastnet is planned to land at Owenahincha beach before continuing about five kilometres inland to the station. AWS still needs a Maritime Area Consent to occupy the relevant seabed area. The company says the cable is targeted for service in 2028, with capacity of more than 320Tbps. The decision advances a new Ireland-US route while leaving the maritime-consent stage to be completed.

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