Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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461. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress of the all-island sports club EV charging programme, including the number of sites approved, grant terms, interoperability standards and delivery schedule across both jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47417/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The Shared Island Sports Club EV Charging Infrastructure Scheme is a €15 million all-island initiative supporting the installation of publicly accessible EV chargers in sports clubs. The aim of the scheme is to install a network of publicly accessible EV chargers in communities throughout the country, through their local sports clubs. The scheme will see 50kW and 100kW fast chargers installed in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Included in the scope of the project are 227 clubs of which 179 are in Ireland and 48 in Northern Ireland. All of these clubs have been assessed for suitability by an independent panel for inclusion in the scheme. The scheme includes GAA, rugby, football and golf clubs in towns, rural communities and city suburbs. Procurement for the scheme commenced in Q1 2025 and is now concluded. A panel of three Charge Point Operators - EasyGo, Weev, and ePower have been appointed in two lots to undertake the works across the country.

The scope includes the design, supply and construction of fast EV charging locations in sports clubs across the country. Each site will have a minimum of one 50kW or 100kW fast charger capable of charging two EVs simultaneously and will be constructed in accordance with ZEVI’s Universal Design Guidelines. The Universal Design Guidelines for EV charging infrastructure support the roll out of universally accessible charging infrastructure across Ireland and summarise the key considerations for accessibility when installing EV charging stations, including the design of the charging station, the accessibility of the site and information and communications to inform users before, during and after a charging session.

The Scheme has mandated interoperability by ensuring scheme compliance with the AFIR (Regulation (EU) 2023/1804). The AFIR regulation which came into force on 13 April 2024 mandates interoperable, accessible and open EV charging infrastructure across the EU. In addition, from summer 2025, all new or renovated public EV chargers must support ISO 15118-1- 5 and from January 2027, support for ISO 15118-20 will be mandatory.

The Northern Ireland sites, being part of the UK are not directly subject to the AFIR regulations however they will align with the UK’s Public Charge Point Regulations (PCPR). Each of the appointed Charge Point Operators on both frameworks already operate on a national basis and have pre-existing full cross-border interoperability.

The scheme is being administered by Pobal on behalf of ZEVI. All terms and conditions of the grant can be found on the Pobal website at www.pobal.ie. The shortlisted clubs which are all affiliated with a recognised national governing body and meet the scheme requirements (e.g. 3-phase electricity, public access, proper amenities) took part in a national webinar run by Pobal and ZEVI in August where the next steps of the scheme were outlined. Clubs are now actively engaging with the Charge Point Operators with permitting and subsequent installation works expected to begin in Q4 once the individual ten-year operating agreements between the Charge Point Operators and clubs are agreed.