Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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153. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment for an update on the sectoral adaptation plans for the electricity and gas sector; what measures the Government has taken to ensure that the gas and electricity infrastructure was prepared to deal with power outages and falling trees, as outlined in the plan; if he is satisfied that sufficient measures were taken to prepare for such extreme weather events like storm Babet and storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5983/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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It should be noted that the damaging, dangerous and destructive nature of Storm Éowyn on 24 January was unprecedented. It caused widespread power outages and in parts, left the electricity grid destroyed due to broken poles, lines and wires.

At the peak, 768,000 customers were without electricity supply. This is double the amount of electricity outages experienced during any previous storm (768,000 vs 395,000). It also had a far larger impact on other critical infrastructure than any previous storm, with telecoms and water being severely impacted.

The current Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the Electricity and Gas Networks Sector was approved by Government on 22 October 2019. Since that time my Department, EirGrid, ESB Networks, Gas Networks Ireland and the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) have been working to adapt out Electricity and Gas networks for the effects of climate change in line with this Sectoral Adaptation Plan. The Climate Change Advisory Council has been tracking this work and reporting on it in its Annual Reports and Climate Change Adaptation “Scorecards”.

Ireland’s second National Adaptation Framework was published on 5 June 2024. Amongst other measures this Framework calls on my Department to lead the preparation of a revised Sectoral Adaptation Plan for Electricity and Gas Networks. This revision of the Sectoral Adaptation Plan will incorporate all of the lessons from Storm Éowyn.