ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • 53 I nLdE Du sVt Ar yNNC eE w s Private Wires Legislation: A Turning Point for Ireland’s Electricity Network The Government’s approval of plans to draft Private Wires legislation marks an important step in addressing the growing imbalance between electricity demand and grid capacity in Ireland. For the electrical industry, the proposed framework signals a shift toward a more distributed and decentralised energy model, one that could significantly reduce strain on the national network while enabling new forms of power generation and consumption. Electricity demand in Ireland continues to rise at a sustained rate of approximately 4% per annum, driven largely by digital infrastructure and services that have become embedded in everyday life. Data centres, cloud storage, streaming services and artificial intelligence platforms now represent major and continuous electrical loads. In key locations such as Dublin, grid congestion and lengthy planning processes are already creating bottlenecks, with estimates suggesting that up to 20% of planned data centre capacity could be delayed or constrained as a result. Industry Perspective Commenting on the significance of the proposed legislation, Rhonda Doyle, Country President at Schneider Electric Ireland, said the move reflects the reality facing Ireland’s energy system: “The Government’s decision to approve plans to draft the Private Wires legislation marks a key step towards a distributed energy network that will reduce the strain on Ireland’s grid. Demand for electricity continues to rise, driven by services we now take for granted such as streaming, AI tools and cloud storage, stretching our energy reserves to the limit.” She added that private wires could play a vital role in supporting new energy use cases: “Private Wires can provide an off-grid solution for the supply of electricity, allowing businesses to run their own cabling to support buildings, factories and EV charging. Ultimately, this will help create new off-grid sites that add capacity while large-scale infrastructure continues to be developed.” Looking further ahead, Doyle emphasised the importance of integration and planning reform: “We need to consider how privately owned, self-generating microgrids can be integrated into a more decentralised and sustainable power network. In the short term, easing planning restrictions will be critical to accelerating the rollout of new private wire connections once the legislation is in place.” New framework could unlock off-grid power solutions and ease mounting pressure on the national grid Rhonda Doyle, Country President at Schneider Electric Ireland
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