December
2025
Guarantee of Availability Consultation
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities ("CRU") publishes a consultation on the prospective design of the Guarantee of Availability regime for Phase 1 offshore wind developers. The consultation outlines the compensation regime for eligible outages to offshore transmission assets post asset transfer to EirGrid (as transmission system operator).
Large Energy User Connection Policy Decision Paper
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities ("CRU") publishes its decision paper on the connection policy for LEUs (the "LEU Decision"). The LEU Decision sets out new rules by which data centres can apply for a new grid connection. See our update here.
The LEU Decision applies exclusively to data centres seeking a new grid connection to the electricity network and establishes three types of data centre, based on their maximum import capacity, and the policies that will apply to each.
Under the LEU Decision, the system operators are required to publish an engagement and connection process for (new) data centres, reflecting the LEU Decision, in a clear and transparent manner and their initial proposals for publishing locational capacity and constraint maps to the CRU, both by 31 March 2026.
Price Review 6 - Final Determination
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities ("CRU") publishes its final determination for Price Review 6 ("PR6"), which sets out the expenditure by EirGrid and ESB Networks for the period from 2026-2030. As part of this, PR6 governs (among other things) the designated authorities’ expenditure, revenue allowances and return on investment.
PR6 follows a consultation on the draft determination in July 2025 as well as a public consultation which ran from July until September 2025 which received 44 responses including from Government departments, network companies, industry bodies and developers.
PR6 allocates €13.8 billion in baseline expenditure allowances (ie the appropriate level of funding (allowances) to cover operational and capital expenditures) (with the potential for this to rise to €18.9 billion if additional offshore projects are delivered and transferred during the PR6 period). The baseline expenditure is split between:
- ESB Networks (€8.9 billion in CAPEX, and €2.5 billion in OPEX); and
- EirGrid (€1.1 billion in CAPEX, and €1.3 billion in OPEX). Within this allowance is €791.8 million of baseline gross CAPEX allowances and €402.2 million of baseline controllable OPEX allowances for the offshore function.
Private Wires Legislation
The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment ("DCEE") secures government approval to commence drafting of the Private Wires Bill (the "Bill").
The Bill follows the Policy Statement on private wires, published in July, which introduced a framework for private undertakings to build, operate and own private wires with the objective of unlocking private sector resources to build new electricity infrastructure.
IEA Report: Powering Ireland's Energy Future
The International Energy Agency publishes an assessment of Ireland’s energy security to 2035, ‘Powering Ireland's Energy Future’ (the "IEA Report").
The IEA Report analyses the role of Ireland’s energy sector in achieving decarbonisation and enhanced system security and stability. It also highlights that as the State positions its energy, climate and socio-economic goals with the electricity system, there is a risk this alignment could cause a doubling in demand on the grid’s delivery and require a more rapid rate of delivery of infrastructure and renewables.
