ESB housing connection wait times drop as grid planning runs alongside council applications

ESB grid connection delays for new residential developments have fallen after processes were changed to run alongside planning applications, an industry conference has heard.

Addressing a Construction Industry Federation (CIF) conference, Brian Tapley, ESB head of networks delivery, stated that grid connections previously required "six months or longer" before interventions by the government's infrastructure taskforce.

Under the revised approach, developers can advance electrical connection plans at the same time that their initial planning applications are evaluated by local authorities. Previously, applicants had to secure full planning permission before seeking a connection, creating delays and placing developments behind other industrial connection applicants in processing queues.

Tapley indicated that the streamlined timeline forms part of a wider €30 billion investment programme designed to support new housing delivery and reinforce network capacity in response to Ireland's growing population.