Government Announces New Measures to Enhance the Electricity Grid and to Increase it's Resilience

Minister Darragh O’Brien has announced new measures to enhance the electricity grid and to increase its resilience. The Minister met with representatives from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) and ESB Networks (ESBN) on Friday, to discuss the Storm Éowyn response and the impact on customers.

The Minister has requested a number of actions be taken, once the initial storm response has been completed. These measures include an enhanced Winter 2025 Grid Resilience Plan. This will be developed within the next month, and will be implemented by ESB Networks between March and October to enhance the resilience of the grid in the most vulnerable locations for the upcoming winter. The ESB have identified a number of initial actions, including increasing the stock holding of spare parts for the electricity network, creating forestry corridors to protect overhead line corridors, and enhancing already strong relationships with partners across Europe.

The Minister has also requested a full review by ESB Networks and CRU, as part of the PR6 (Sixth Annual Price Review) decision-making process, of the planned grid enhancement and in light of the damage caused by Storm Éowyn, with specific additional projects and investments identified to future proof Ireland’s energy grid and to adapt to the challenges of climate change.

The Minister also set out that he will work closely with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform – to support CRU and ESBN increasing their workforces in order to protect citizens.

In the interim, the Minister has received assurances from ESB Networks that they are taking all actions necessary to restore power to customers. The Minister paid tribute to local authorities, utilities and principal response agencies and in particular the ESB Networks crew members and the crews who have come to assist from the United Kingdom, France, Finland, Germany, Austria, Norway and the Netherlands, for their continued efforts to restore power to the country as quickly and as safely as possible.

Speaking about these measures, Minister O’Brien said:

“These storms are becoming more regular and more destructive and there is a need to take immediate action to ensure that we increase the resilience of the electricity system, and therefore of the country, to this type of event. I met with representatives from the CRU and ESB Networks, to discuss the Storm Éowyn response and the impact on customers. A number of actions emerged from these discussions and I have outlined these actions in a Memo to Government, which has been considered today.

While the actions I set out are crucial to increasing the resilience of the electricity system in the wake of Storm Éowyn, my priority, and the priority for Government, has been and remains to be ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our citizens – by assisting the restoration of power to all as quickly and as safely as possible, and to ensure that all vulnerable customers are looked after in whatever manner is needed.

As of this afternoon, 18,000 customers remain without power. ESB Networks have restored power to 750,000 customers. I know that some customers are without power for nearly two weeks in some areas, due to the scale of the damage to the electricity grid. Every effort is being made to restore electricity to the remaining customers as soon as possible. I have and will continue to engage directly with ESB Networks to ensure that they have the full support of the State to respond to the storm.

We are providing support to vulnerable individuals who are without power, and will continue to do so. I know that colleagues in ESB Networks are working with An Garda Siochana, the HSE and other departments and agencies to ensure every vulnerable customer gets assistance.”

Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) – Price Reviews:

Investing in our network, and ensuring it is fit for purpose, is overseen by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) in cycles called Price Reviews. The CRU sanctioned a capital investment in our grid over the period 2021-2025 of €4 billion, PR5. The next stage of investment, PR6, will cover the period 2026-2030 and has seen ESB Networks request a baseline investment of €10.1 billion, with the potential to grow to €13.4 billion.

The large-scale investment sought as part of PR6 will assist Ireland in maintaining a reliable and resilient electricity network to meet the needs of customers and society. This investment will deliver additional network capacity at all voltage levels, as well as allowing for significant investment in asset maintenance and replacement, and measures to improve continuity of supply. To deal with the disruptive events of storms and long-term impacts of climate change, as part of PR6, ESB Networks are planning to implement a strategic approach to asset management to ensure that the investments are future-proofed and resilient.