Electricity infrastructure policy will "ease pressure on national grid" - Cowen

Fianna Fáil MEP for Midlands North-West, Barry Cowen, has welcomed the Government’s forthcoming policy on private electricity infrastructure, calling it a “positive and necessary step” to unlock private investment and ease pressure on the national grid.

The new policy, set for publication in July, will enable large-scale energy users - such as data centres and industrial operators - to build and operate their own private connections to electricity sources, including renewables and on-site generation.It marks a significant departure from the current framework, where infrastructure ownership is almost exclusively reserved for ESB Networks.

MEP Cowen described the move as a pragmatic response to Ireland’s evolving energy demands.

“It will help industry decarbonise, reduce dependency on the grid and drive innovation at a time when flexibility and resilience are urgently needed,” he said.

While supportive of the latest announcement, the Fianna Fáil MEP emphasised that the reform must be a first step in delivering a modern, competitive energy system.

He stressed that further measures must be considered to ensure “open, fair and equal competition,” including a reassessment of how different planning rules are applied to State bodies and the private sector.

The Midlands North-West MEP acknowledged the importance of emergency measures but argued they must not become the norm.

“If we had an effective electricity market, we wouldn’t have needed to spend over €1.3 billion on temporary, emergency generation. That money could have supported long-term, sustainable solutions delivered by private or public actors alike.

“This new private wires policy is a strong step forward, but the next step must be ensuring a truly competitive system - one that supports transparency, fairness and long-term resilience in Ireland’s energy future," MEP Cowen said.