Uisce Éireann welcomes public consultation on its ambitious plan to transform Ireland’s water services

Information below is relevant until further updates are provided here or on our Supply and Service Updates section

Uisce Éireann welcomes the launch of the public consultation by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) on its proposed investment programme for 2025–2029. 

As a regulated utility, Uisce Éireann submits its investment plans to the CRU in five-year periods, known as Revenue Control (RC) periods. The submission for RC4, which covers the period 2025-2029, includes proposals for a record investment of €13.8 billion* in capital investment and operational expenditure

This includes €8.56* billion in capital investment (Capex) which the CRU recognises as being vital for the continued transformation of Ireland’s water services and supporting the delivery of homes, economic growth and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. 

The CRU in its consultation paper has recognised that Uisce Éireann has a track record in delivering projects and programmes, with the vast majority of RC3 projects and outputs having been delivered. This was despite significant challenges during that period — including Covid-19, supply chain disruptions, substantial inflation, and population growth leading to large increases in demand for water. The CRU noted that Uisce Éireann ‘responded effectively to these challenges by re-prioritising and reallocating resources to maintain progress on key outcomes’. 

Justin Johnston, Uisce Éireann’s Strategy, Resilience and Regulation Director, said: “We welcome the findings of the regulator that Uisce Éireann is well positioned to deliver its RC4 Investment Plan and recognising it as a maturing utility on a positive trajectory.

“We are committed to delivering transformative water services that enable communities to thrive, and we look forward to working with our regulator and all stakeholders to ensure the investment is in place to modernise and future-proof Ireland’s water services. This includes the delivery of strategic national projects such as the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region (WSP) and Greater Dublin Drainage (GDD), the provision of additional water and wastewater treatment capacity, reducing levels of leakage and energy efficiency improvements.

“We encourage communities, stakeholders and individuals to have their say on our ambitious plans. Uisce Éireann will be actively responding to the consultation, ensuring that feedback continues to shape our investment priorities—especially in water quality, compliance, growth, supporting housing delivery and sustainability.”

Looking forward Uisce Éireann recognises the need to continue to be efficient and increase what can be delivered in terms of outputs and projects, while also driving operational efficiencies and tackling leakage levels. National leakage levels are at record lows, down from 48% to 36% and in the Greater Dublin Area leakage now stands at 30%.

While this is significant progress, an increase in the demand for water, population increases, ongoing transformation of the water sector and economic growth continue to make leakage reduction targets more challenging. Uisce Éireann is working closely with stakeholders to address leakage and ensure we meet new leakage targets in the coming years.

Uisce Éireann will now engage constructively with the regulator on the ambitious targets set in the consultation with a focus on delivery, while noting the significant challenges presented by the scale of investment and capital plans set out to 2029. 

For more information and to access the full draft plan, visit www.cru.ie