'Customers deserve explanation' - Major concern over spike in Waterford power outages

Significant concerns have been raised about ESB Networks performance in relation to power cuts faced by domestic and business customers in Waterford and across Ireland.

Figures provided to Ireland South MEP, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú by ESB Networks under Freedom of Information show significant year on year increases in power cuts across Ireland between 2021 and 2024. The Waterford area saw an 11.5% increase in power cuts recorded between 2021 and 2024 going from 946 power cuts to 1,055 power cuts in 2024.

Nationally, there were 64,754 power cuts across Ireland in 2024, both planned and unplanned outages. That is a 22% increase on 2023 where we had 53,067 power cuts. Between 2021 and 2024, we have seen a 40% increase in the number of power cuts, both planned and unplanned, across Ireland.

Some areas across Ireland seem more prone to power cuts than others. Enniscorthy had 2,507 power cuts in 2024, compared to Limerick which only had 737 power cuts in 2024. Sligo had 3,211 power cuts in 2024, up from 1,973 in 2021. Letterkenny had 2,258 power cuts in 2024, up from 1,354 power cuts in 2021! Waterford, Limerick, and Cork had some of the lowest number of power cuts across the grid in 2024.

ESB Networks have provided a breakdown of power cuts across different counties in Ireland over the past 4 years. Ní Mhurchú says it raised questions on the performance of ESB networks and it is having a direct impact on the performance of our rural economy.

ESB Networks also provided MEP Ní Mhurchú with a breakdown of the reasons for the power cuts which included bird strikes, weather issues, lightening, overhead refurbishment, overloading, and corrosion. Of more concern was the large increase in power cuts which were attributed to ‘defective equipment’.

READ NEXT: Congrats paid to Waterford's own Garda O'Dwyer first Irishman to ever win UK golf tournament

Ní Mhurchú has called on ESB Networks to clarify why there is a 22% jump in power outages across the country between 2023 and 2024. She has also called for a new system of compensation for householders and small businesses for outages lasting more than 12 hours. She also said that customers should not be charged for standing charges and levies when the power it out.

The CRU, our regulator, has raised significant concerns about ESBN’s performance in relation to unplanned outages and customer interruptions fining the utility millions for missing clearly set down targets. According to Ní Mhurchú, the ESB is a profitable company that should be prioritising increased investment in our electricity grid.

“My worry is that ESB Networks may be trying to cut costs by not investing in our electricity infrastructure to the extent that they should be. Power cuts have an enormous impact on families, in particular as many homes are now passive homes that depend on heat pumps and don’t have open fires or stoves.

Ní Mhurchú has described the dramatic increase in the number of power outages as requiring an explanation from ESB Networks.

“Customers deserve an explanation as to why they are facing more power cuts when they are paying the second highest electricity prices in Europe. The least Irish customers deserve is more investment in the infrastructure that delivers that electricity," she concluded.