Uisce Éireann’s capital expenditure on critical water and wastewater infrastructure exceeded €1.2 billion last year, delivering improved drinking water quality to customers, reducing wastewater discharges to the environment and building resilience in Irish water supplies. Its Annual Report 2023 shows a range of key achievements for the organisation including assuming full responsibility for the delivery of all public water services in Ireland, transitioning to a centrally managed national utility.
Key highlights for the year include:
- 4,597 connection offers associated with 42,970 housing units
- 1.72 billion litres of drinking water and a 1.26 billion litres of wastewater treated daily
- Compliance of Public Water Supplies with the drinking water microbiological and
- chemical standards in 2022 was 99.7%
- Recognised 51 newly built or upgraded water and wastewater treatment plants
- Recognised 512 km of water main and 122km of sewers laid or rehabilitated
- Financial highlights of 2023 include:
- Revenue of €1.560 billion (comprising €1.068 billion Government subvention and €492m in Non-Domestic and New Connection revenue)
- Capital expenditure reached €1.289 billion (on an accruals basis)
- Operating costs (exclusive of bad debts) of €984 million with net assets increasing to €5.579 billion
The report shows that capital investment by Uisce Éireann amounted to €1.289 billion (up from €1.061 billion in 2022) representing an increase of €228m. Of this, 41.2% (€531m) was spent on enhancing the quality of water and wastewater services; 17.8% (€229m) on conservation; and 41% (€528m) on future-proofing water and wastewater treatment plants and networks.
On January 1, 2023, Irish Water transitioned to Uisce Éireann and became Ireland’s new standalone water utility. A key focus was establishing the supports and processes to enable the smooth transfer of Local Authority Water Services staff, and enabling the successful integration of all employees in the new shared organisation. This ongoing work is vital to fully deliver the benefits of a national utility model with strong local teams delivering in and for communities throughout the country.
Commenting on the report, Niall Gleeson, Uisce Éireann’s CEO stated that the organisation’s strong performance in 2023 was delivered in a year of complex change and challenge.
“During the year we prioritised the investment of over €1.2 billion in Ireland’s critical water and wastewater infrastructure. This level of investment enables us to make essential multi-generational improvements targeted at providing resilient water services, benefiting communities and supporting growth and development across Ireland.”
“Our primary focus continues to be delivering safe, clean and environmentally compliant water and wastewater services through essential projects and ongoing maintenance and upgrading of infrastructure. The Water Supply Project – Eastern and Midlands will enhance resilience and enable us to adapt to the effects of climate change by diversifying water supply sources. It will provide a secure source of supply to 36 additional water zones in Meath, Wicklow, Carlow, Westmeath, Offaly and Tipperary. When combined, the Water Supply Project - Eastern and Midlands Region and the Greater Dublin Drainage project will provide the essential increase in service capacity for the Greater Dublin Area.”
A standout success in 2023 was the completion of the infrastructure upgrades at Ireland’s largest wastewater treatment plant in Ringsend to achieve compliance with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive for a population equivalent of 2.1 million. By the end of 2025, the Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant will be able to treat wastewater for a population of some 2.4 million while meeting the required standards and with all remaining ancillary works completed in 2026. Project works were completed at Roscommon and Mallow achieving compliance with the Directive. Works to eliminate raw sewage discharges were completed across 10 sites including Kilmore Quay, Spiddal, Castletownshend, Inchigeelagh, Clarecastle, Liscannor, Kilcar, Kerrykeel, Ahascragh and Burtonport resulting in safer and cleaner water for these populations to enjoy.
The quality of drinking water in public supplies remained very high in 2023. Reducing leakage, particularly in the Greater Dublin Area is a priority in an environment where there is significant population growth driving increasing demand for water. Uisce Éireann continues to prioritise supplies where treatment is still not as robust as it needs to be to ensure all supplies are resilient and safe into the future. In 2023, the utility recognised nine new or upgraded water treatment plants.
Uisce Éireann also continued to deliver key water infrastructure to enable housing development. In 2023, positive responses were issued to 3,008 enquiries associated with 98,369 housing units and 4,597 connection offers were issued, associated with 42,970 housing units. We also closed out the five key actions items assigned to Uisce Éireann in the Government’s Housing for All programme. These included the development of an Experience Based Accreditation Scheme, the publication of capacity registers and the implementation of our First Mover scheme.
Commenting on the financial results, Uisce Éireann’s CFO, Chris McCarthy said: “Uisce Éireann’s capital investment activities continued to be a significant source of economic stimulus during 2023. In addition, our operating and maintenance programmes continued to provide both direct and indirect employment and other economic benefits across the Irish economy.”
