Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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20. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if it is still the Government’s intention to proceed with ‘private wire’ legislation to allow data centre operators to connect to their own source of power generation; if it is still the plan to publish the proposed legislation in the current year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30879/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Having received Government approval, on 4 July last year, my Department published a set of guiding principles for the development of a policy on private wires. Alongside the guiding principles, a summary report of the Private Wires Public Consultation and an appendix setting out all responses received was also published.

The principles, while not making immediate changes, are to guide any changes which are to come and provide guidance to the public and industry as to the direction of travel in respect of this key area, while reiterating the central role the national electricity grid will continue to play in the electricity system.

The private wires policy will aim to unlock private sector resources to build new electricity infrastructure by expanding the rights of private undertakings to connect supply directly with demand. The intention is that “private wires” will accelerate investment in new electricity infrastructure, including renewable generation and storage, in a manner consistent with the guiding principles of private wire policy.

Developing a private wires policy is of importance to this Government and an action was included in the Programme for Government to expedite the delivery of this policy. This is a complicated area with lots of potential options. Work on the policy is ongoing within my Department. I anticipate that initial policy proposals will be published in the coming months.