Published: Fri, 31 January 2025
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MEP for Ireland South and Leader of Fine Gael in the European Parliament, Seán Kelly, has called for urgent and enhanced investment in Ireland’s electricity grid, warning that the system is outdated and unfit for the challenges of the electrified, digital age. MEP Kelly was recently appointed as lead negotiator on Electricity Grids for the European People’s Party in the European Parliament. Highlighting the severe impact of Storm Éowyn, which hit Ireland on the 24th of January, Mr. Kelly outlined that future-proofing the electricity network to protect households and businesses from future extreme weather events must be a priority.
“Storm Éowyn brought into sharp focus the vulnerabilities in our electricity network. On 24 January, 768,000 customers lost power, making it the worst storm ESB Networks has ever experienced in terms of outages and damage. The rapid response from ESB Networks teams in reconnecting so many customers deserves the highest praise, however the scale of the outages shows that we urgently need to act.”
MEP Kelly emphasised that Ireland’s electricity system, built for a 20th-century economy, is no longer adequate to meet the demands of a 21st-century society increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure and electrification.
“We have failed to deliver the grid upgrades needed over the last two decades. Our system must be capable of accommodating high volumes of renewable energy and electrification, while also being resilient to the growing threat of extreme weather events caused by climate change.”
To address these issues, the Fine Gael MEP pointed to two significant upcoming funding programmes that must be leveraged:
“The CRU’s forthcoming PR6 price review covering the 2026-2030 period will determine the funding framework for Ireland’s electricity network development. We must see objectives and incentives set out for the pro-active investment into grid resilience such as structural reinforcement of existing overhead distribution lines, undergrounding of distribution-level overhead lines wherever feasible, meshing networks where possible to increase redundancy.
“Additionally, the new EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) will provide an opportunity to ring-fence dedicated funding for modernising grid infrastructure across Europe. We should prioritise grid development and resilience in the MFF and enable Ireland to channel EU resources toward the significant capital investment needed to make its electricity network fit-for-purpose.
“We must prioritise grid resilience and work to preventing power outages during storms, while at the same time ensuring the reliability of electricity for homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses in an increasingly electrified economy.”
MEP Kelly has commended the dedication of ESB Networks staff, who are working tirelessly to restore power. “Their exceptional efforts has ensured that the majority of customers were reconnected as quickly as possible under extremely challenging conditions. However, we cannot rely on emergency response alone. Preventative investment in grid resilience is the only sustainable solution.”
