Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We all agree that Ireland urgently needs better infrastructure to meet its housing needs. The Minister has sat here listening to all of the Deputies say this with regard to water planning and grid capacity. The solution does not lie in trading blame. It lies in us all rolling up our sleeves and fixing what is broken, and what is easily fixable right in front of us. There are small legislative changes that would have the biggest ripple effects in finally solving the housing crisis that my generation and every generation of buyers is facing.

The motion from Sinn Féin identifies real constraints but it does not really offer real reform. As an Independent Deputy supporting the programme for Government I will vote in favour of the Government's amendment, not because everything is perfect but because I am committed to the programme for Government, which lays foundations for real structural change. One of these structural changes, which was a key priority for me in negotiations, was the progression of private wires legislation. If we are serious about accelerating housing delivery and building the infrastructure of the future, then we need to remove the obstacles that are right in front of us.

One of the most urgent and fixable issues with regard to our electricity, as the Minister has heard from every Member of the House, is the absence of private wires legislation. I will explain what this means in real terms. Take a typical new development of 300 units with six separate quarters of apartments. Under current rules, the ESB must install separate electricity connections to each individual apartment plus additional connections for lifts, lighting and building management. This means upwards of 310 separate grid connections. It is slow and expensive. Worst of all, if ESB or EirGrid states there is no capacity for them, which they often do, the entire project can be delayed for years or more. Imagine if private wires legislation was made legal. Instead of 310 separate grid connections the developer would install a single large connection for the building and sub-meters for each apartment internally. The development could also incorporate rooftop solar panels, geothermal heat pumps, battery storage and even back-up generators.

I studied engineering in college for five years. I asked my professor what would be the one change he would make to Ireland's system to make the biggest difference, not only for our housing crisis but for our energy target goals, and he said to legalise private wires. In effect, we would create a local microgrid. It can be done entirely separately from the national grid if needed. This would mean no delay waiting for grid capacity, lower infrastructure costs and cleaner, cheaper energy from day one. This is not science fiction. It is standard practice in countries such as Denmark and Germany, where apartment complexes, business parks and energy co-ops can legally share electricity through private wires.

Private wires legislation would unlock stalled housing developments, encourage developers to invest in on-site renewables, and create energy resilient communities less exposed to the volatile market prices. Right now Irish law does not allow electricity to be transferred through private wires, unless there is a block on it. This would not take years but months to bring through. I have already brought a Bill to the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers. We do not need to rewrite our climate targets or invent new funding streams; we just need to allow developers to build smarter and cleaner electricity. Let them generate, store and share electricity on site. The programme for Government, which I signed up to, commits to this. This is a perfect shovel-ready policy that is a win for the Minister, the Government and, more importantly, for the people of Ireland.

I am delighted with the engagement I have had so far with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. In response to a parliamentary question I tabled on 8 May, he said it is an important action included in the programme for Government and that it is a priority for him. I ask again that we legalise private wires and turn the grid from a barrier to a back-up, and give housing developers and communities the power, literally, to move ahead.

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