Minister O’Brien secures Government approval for legislation to bolster the storm resilience of our electricity grid

Bill follows through on commitments given in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn – setting standards for forestry corridors
 
Minister for the Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien today brought the Heads of a Bill to Cabinet – to enhance the resilience of the electricity grid. The Government subsequently approved priority drafting of the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Bill 2025.
 
The unprecedented outages caused by Storm Éowyn exposed critical vulnerabilities arising from unmanaged vegetation and commercial forestry close to electricity infrastructure. At the peak, 768,000 customers across the country were without electricity supply as a result of Storm Éowyn. Accordingly, the Bill will provide for the establishment and maintenance of forestry corridors – areas within a given distance of the electricity network, within which forestry vegetation and related activities can be restricted by law.
 
The Bill will:

• provide ESB Networks with additional vegetation management powers;
• enable the Minister to make regulations on the dimensions and conditions of corridors; attach responsibilities to landowners for corridor maintenance;
• establish principles for the compensation of landowners affected by forestry corridor works;
• and in light of the urgency of this undertaking disapply the Planning and Development Act 2000 for the associated works, while confirming continued application of the environmental obligations under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives.

 
The Minister briefed Cabinet that additional costs to the Exchequer were not expected, as costs associated with improvements to the resilience of the electricity grid are covered by network tariffs set as part of periodic price reviews. This process is overseen by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, which ensures that only appropriate, efficient and justified costs are approved of for recovery.
 
In parallel with the drafting of this Bill, actions under the ESB Networks Winter 2025 Grid Resilience Plan continue to be implemented.
 
The Winter 2025 Grid Resilience Plan calls for:

• a survey of the electricity network, with hazards made safe and necessary refurbishments identified;
• a co-operative effort between ESB Networks, Coillte and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to identify at-risk segments of the network for priority remediation;
• the replenishment of ESB Network’s emergency stocks of spare parts and materials to double their previous capacity;
• the strengthening of relationships with European utilities through the signing of memoranda of understanding on mutual assistance;
• and a formal storm review to identify recommendations to prepare for future storms.

 
Speaking about the legislation, Minister O’Brien said:
 
“I am pleased to announce that the Government has approved priority drafting of the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Bill 2025. This will be a critical piece of legislation supporting the protection of our electricity grid, thereby safeguarding homes and businesses – and especially the most vulnerable members of our communities across the country – during the more frequent and destructive storms we now face. The legislation will also regularise the requirements on foresters in relation to electricity infrastructure, providing certainty to both the network operator and landowners.
 
“I note that the Bill provides principles for the compensation of affected landowners. In drafting this Bill, my Department will engage in thorough consultation with the forestry industry, as well as other Departments, Coillte, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and other relevant stakeholders. The legislation and the regulations it will enable will strike an appropriate balance – between infrastructure resilience, the viability of the forestry sector, environmental impact and control of costs.”