Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 September 2020
106. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will meet local opposition groups and a person (details supplied) to be briefed fully on the Shannon pipeline project before proceeding further with same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27444/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels.
The Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project has been in development since the mid-1990s, originally under Dublin City Council and under Irish Water since January 2014. It is the first comprehensive upgrade of Ireland’s water infrastructure in over 60 years.
Public consultation in respect of this project is a matter for Irish Water. In 2015, Irish Water embarked on an extensive public consultation process to identify a new source of water supply for the region. Overall, ten options were assessed on technical environmental and economic grounds. The abstraction of raw water from the Parteen Basin and the Lower River Shannon was ultimately identified as the preferred option.
In addition, Irish Water is currently preparing a National Water Resource Plan (NWRP) which will be a 25 year strategy to ensure a sustainable, secure and reliable public drinking water supply. The NWRP will set out how Irish Water are to balance the supply and demand for drinking water over the short, medium and long term. It will be a strategic framework used to identify deficiencies across the whole water supply system, and to develop plans and programmes to address them through capital investment, demand management and improved operation of facilities and distribution networks including, as I understand, with respect to the Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project. I also understand Irish Water are preparing to undertake a public consultation shortly on the draft plan. This will provide everyone with an opportunity to engage further on the project in the light of the most up to date information.
Separately, the Water Services Act 2013 requires the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, in conjunction with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, to provide consent for all commitments for capital expenditure above a certain threshold. Given the scale and importance of the Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project, and recognising the statutory role of the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) as independent economic regulator of Irish Water, including its role of reviewing Irish Water’s capital investment plans, the CRU was requested to undertake the review to support consideration of the capital consent that will be required in the event that planning approval is obtained for the project. This review has commenced but has not progressed as quickly as originally envisaged in order that the CRU can take into account the output of the National Water Resources Plan. I expect to receive the CRU report in 2021. It will also be an important input in the context of the updated Public Spending Code for evaluating, planning and managing the public investment in the project as it proceeds through its lifecycle.
The Terms of Reference for the review are available on the CRU website at the following link:
https://www.cru.ie/document_group/water-supply-project-eastern-and-midlands-region/.
