Uisce Éireann invested over €1.3 billion in 2024 to deliver safer, more sustainable water services for Ireland

Uisce Éireann has today published its 2024 Annual Report, which details its comprehensive programme of work to deliver secure, safe, and sustainable water services across Ireland. The utility invested a record €1.372 billion in critical water and wastewater infrastructure, supporting public health, environmental protection, and economic development.

The report outlines major achievements in 2024, including improved drinking water quality, enhanced wastewater treatment, and more resilience in water supplies. Uisce Éireann also played a key role in enabling housing delivery and advancing climate adaptation policies through strategic infrastructure investment.

• Treated 1.7 billion litres of drinking water and 1.26 billion litres of wastewater daily
• Achieved 99.7% compliance with drinking water microbiological and chemical standards (Published EPA 2024 report on Drinking Water Quality in Public Supplies 2023)
• Completed or upgraded 26 water and wastewater treatment plants
• Laid or rehabilitated 207 km of water mains and 63 km of sewers
• Issued 5,508 connection offers supporting 52,133 housing units
• Responded positively to 3,041 pre-connection enquiries linked to 114,981 housing units

• Revenue: €1.606 billion (comprising €1.139 billion Government subvention & and €467 million in non-domestic and new connection revenue.
• Capital expenditure: €1.372 billion
• Operating costs: €1.056 billion
• Net assets: €6.436 billion
• Net debt: €597 million

Of the €1.372 billion invested, 41% was allocated to quality improvements, 41.9% to conservation, and 17.1% to future-proofing infrastructure.

Niall Gleeson, CEO of Uisce Éireann, said:

“2024 was a transformative year for Uisce Éireann. Our investment of over €1.3 billion reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality water services that enable communities across Ireland to thrive. A major milestone was receiving Government approval in principle for the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region – a once-in-a-generation project that will secure a climate-resilient water source for the future. Projects such as this and the Greater Dublin Drainage scheme combined with our focus on addressing legacy water infrastructure, are critical to ensuring we can meet the demands of a growing population and economy. 

“Looking ahead, our Strategic Funding Plan outlines the investment required from 2025 to 2029 to deliver essential infrastructure and services across Ireland. This includes the maintenance and operation of over 7,000 public assets and the advancement of critical national projects. These strategic investments are vital to supporting housing delivery, economic growth, and long-term resilience in our water and wastewater services nationwide.”

The Annual Report also outlines how Uisce Éireann made further progress in its transformation programme throughout 2024, integrating local authority water services staff into a unified national utility, which will result in a team of almost 4,500 people directly delivering water services to 80% of the Irish population.

Chris McCarthy, CFO of Uisce Éireann, added:

“Our capital investment programme continues to be a major economic stimulus, enabling multi-generational improvements in water and wastewater infrastructure. These investments are essential to improving service quality, meeting regulatory standards, and supporting sustainable development across Ireland.”

The full Annual Report 2024 is available on the annual report page.