ESB and Uisce Éireann, two of Ireland's main utility companies, have teamed up to work together on building national infrastructure. Their focus is on making construction more sustainable and using resources more efficiently.

As part of this partnership, they will support Ireland's plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. One of their main areas of work is helping to deliver the national hydrogen strategy. This strategy supports the use of renewable hydrogen as a clean and reliable source of energy.

Producing hydrogen in this way uses electrolysis, which needs a large amount of water. ESB and Uisce Éireann are looking at using treated wastewater from existing treatment plants instead of fresh water. This idea is being explored through a project called HyWater.

The HyWater project has already been approved by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU). A study is now underway to check if the project is possible and cost-effective. This study should be finished by Autumn 2025. It will also suggest a location for a trial hydrogen production site. If the trial works well, the solution could be used on a larger scale.

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Both companies are committed to finding new and practical ways to build infrastructure that protects water supply and wastewater treatment. They will also look at other ways to reuse materials and work with experts to improve knowledge around water and energy in Ireland.

Welcoming the new partnership, Uisce Eireann spokesperson Aisling Buckley said: "Uisce Éireann, as Ireland's national public water services provider, supplies 1.7 billion litres of drinking water to its customers every day and collects and treats more than 1.3 billion litres of wastewater before it is safely returned to the environment. Providing safe, secure and sustainable water services is vital to enable communities across Ireland to thrive, by protecting public health, enabling economic development and enhancing our environment and precious water resources.  

"With the supply of sustainable water services being core to our business but recognising the need to offer support in developing and improving Irish infrastructure in line with government strategy, we are excited to be taking a collaborative approach with ESB that will deliver a significant national benefit. The project will also pave the way for further wastewater re-use, energy neutrality and circularity targets of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD)."

ESB Generation and Trading spokesperson, Edward McGuire, added: "We are delighted to announce this partnership with Uisce Éireann. Both organisations have committed to achieving net zero emissions and have recognised a need to take urgent and focused action to achieve this outcome whilst putting in place the infrastructure and services to enable the wider delivery of Ireland’s net zero target by 2050.

"We know that to reach this goal, even more sources of clean energy will be required to support the electricity system here in Ireland. At ESB, we believe green hydrogen will be one of those sources and we are excited to see what can be delivered though this collaboration."