The physical damage wrought by Storm Éowyn, compounded by the misery inflicted on hundreds of thousands of households around the country having to go days, and in some cases weeks, without power or water, highlights the problems that increasingly extreme weather events are causing at a time when Ireland’s chronically undeveloped infrastructure is under the microscope.
Take water, for starters. The storm exposed shortcomings in the water supply, as pumping stations didn’t have backup generators. At the height of the problem, 140,000 houses were without water, while 768,000 were without electricity. Uisce Éireann has decided to buy 100 generators to prevent a recurrence, but this is merely symptomatic of a broader problem.
Speaking in February, Uisce Éiireann’s chairman Jerry Grant, admitted that the State’s water and sewerage systems were in “a desperate state” because of “extraordinary complacency” and “passive indifference” around investment in infrastructure.
It was unlikely, he said, that the Shannon Pipeline Project would secure planning permission in the next three years. This key piece of infrastructure is designed to take water through the midlands to Dublin via a 170km pipeline and its absence will result in a tight situation for drinking water supply in the capital.
Ireland is also facing infrastructure deficits in energy and housing, regional transport connectivity, international connectivity, and digital infrastructure. Planning is a major reason, says Kim O’Neill, partner at Eversheds Sutherland.
“When you talk to key stakeholders in the market they will say that they are all eager and willing to address the infrastructure deficits in Ireland but that the process to building infrastructure is taking twice as long now as it did 10 years ago. So, despite there being more need and demand now, it is getting tougher and slower to meet those same needs and demands. Getting initial sign-off, the planning process and funding are all issues resulting in this slowdown and stalling in meeting infrastructure needs.”
Improved planning legislation to fast-track strategic infrastructure and a focus on streamlining and encouraging the process would all assist in helping to address these infrastructure deficits, she says.
In the meantime, a number of companies are working to ensure infrastructure resilience, especially in the energy supply sector.
Chris Collins, country president Ireland for Schneider Electric, says adverse weather such as cold snaps, flooding, and high winds can severely disrupt the power grid if power stations and lines are affected. As a nation we demand a lot of the grid particularly during the colder months, but bad weather and usage spikes emphasise the need for a more resilient power network that is not subject to high energy prices and supply shortages, he notes.
“Securing reliable electric power is increasingly vital as efforts to decarbonise and increase energy resilience ramp up. Ireland’s grid is under increased pressure particularly given the surge in data centres and other growing parts of the economy. As such, many businesses are modifying their power infrastructure – to increase capacity, integrate more assets, or incorporate microgrids. The result is that as electrical assets become ever more critical, the infrastructure they form part of is becoming increasingly complex and harder to manage. Failure to adapt could lead to outages, inefficiencies and expensive repairs.”
Collins says his firm helps organisations in Ireland turn this challenge into an opportunity.
“We combine renewable electric power with digital technology at scale, in an approach we call electricity 4.0. We support a proactive approach to electrical asset management, for example by installing IoT sensors on equipment to monitor its condition and usage remotely. The real advantage comes from applying our AI-powered analytics to data from these sensors. This means we can accurately and continuously model the health of the hardware to predict when it needs maintenance or repairs. This provides organisations with greater visibility and understanding of their electrical power systems, making it possible for them to run them in more sophisticated and effective ways.”
Viotas is an energy technology company that develops leading-edge smart grid technology to accelerate the use of renewable energy worldwide. These technologies enable businesses to actively support the security and stability of national electricity grids by temporarily switching off loads or turning on backup generation at times of system stress. By becoming active participants in the power system, customers are rewarded by earning revenue and they are also helping to reduce their own carbon impact.
“Ireland needs to accelerate the use of renewables to combat the challenge posed by climate change,” says Eoin Sweeney, head of market operations, Viotas. “To do so, Ireland needs a suite of technologies to deliver on its ambitious climate goals, while simultaneously maintaining security of supply. Demand response is a key part of the solution as it can provide low cost, low carbon solutions, without the need to develop new assets.”
Offshore wind is part of the solution, he says. “Developing offshore wind will help Ireland meet its future energy needs. However, as the system accommodates higher levels of renewables, the system operators are faced with new challenges; demand response can help facilitate higher levels of renewables.”
