PROBLEMS IN THE power grid in the Midlands – which have seen dozens of families unable to move into newly built homes – are being seen in parts of Dublin.

The managing director of the ESB Nicholas Tarrant has told TDs and senators that there is “limited capacity” on the electrical network in north and west Dublin, partly due to population growth in those areas.

He was speaking in light of issues in Portlaoise, Co Laois where 80 families are unable to move into their homes because of delay in the site’s electricity connection.

As first reported by The Journal last week, the families may not be able to move into the Sandwood estate until December or later due to constraints in the grid.

And at the Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy yesterday, the ESB chief outlined that similar difficulties are seen elsewhere.

“There are areas where you’ve seen probably the biggest population growth, if you look back over the last kind of 10 years, like Portlaoise for example, where I think there’s been something like over 16% population growth between the census in 2011 2022, and continuing at pace,” Tarrant said.

“There’s other towns like that, but if you take the big urban centers, particularly if you take Dublin, like north Dublin, west, there’s particular issues there that we’re working on in conjunction with EirGrid, and there are other areas across the network.”

ESB managing director Nicholas Tarrant speaking yesterday Oireachtas Oireachtas

Tarrant said there is an investment plan to reinforce the network which would see a €13.4 billion capital investment programme over the next five years, as a way to “cater for the level of growth that is that we’re already seeing on the network, specifically on the development of Portlaoise”.

He also said he wanted to acknowledge the “considerable uncertainty and stress for the families” who have bought homes in the housing estate.

Tarrant cited capacity issues at the local substation in Portlaoise as the reason for the ongoing delay and, speaking generally, encouraged developers to work with the semi-state at an early stage to address new housing connections.

Asked by senator Alice Mary Higgins whether data centres in the midlands were putting pressure on the grid and whether housing could be put ahead of the burgeoning data center sector, the ESB boss said that developments have to be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Tarrant said any decision on putting housing first would have to come from government policy or from the energy regulator.