The Government will soon have another infrastructure megaproject on its books as the proposed water pipeline from the Shannon to the Dublin region is about to go to An Coimisiún Pleanála. It comes with all the usual risks but a significant hurdle has been cleared with completion of a consultation process by Uisce Éireann required before it can move to this planning stage. An application for a water extraction licence from the Environmental Protection Agency will follow.
The consultation process was thorough, while the economic and environmental case for the project was widely accepted. Where possible, the utility has addressed environmental concerns by way of redesign. It has become a much-changed project in terms of scale and now has a core spine supplying major urban centres throughout the Midlands, while also serving the eastern region and not just the Greater Dublin Area (GDA).
An agreement with farmers and landowners on compensation for access to their land means objections will be minimised though planning-related delays and judicial reviews are possible.
Risks and questions remain, however. It has a preliminary business case estimate of €4.5 billion to €6 billion but could cost €10.4 billion in a worst-case scenario. The ghost of National Children’s Hospital overruns will lurk in the background.
RM Block
Uisce Éireann has indicated the development could potentially supply 50 per cent of national water needs and defended its water demand projections. Yet it remains to be seen if climate factors, including sustained increases of average temperatures in Ireland and more prolonged droughts predicted by climate scientists have been taken into account sufficiently; especially beyond 2050.
The most optimistic date for delivery is probably 2031. In the meantime overreliance on the River Liffey, supplying 1.7 million people in the Dublin region and about 85 per cent of total water needs for the region, persists. That lesson is clear; Uisce Éireann must maintain a vigorous policy of diversifying water supply sources.
