The Government has designated nine major transport, water and energy schemes as critical infrastructure under the Critical Infrastructure Act 2026, giving them priority handling to speed up approvals and decisions. The first tranche includes MetroLink, the Galway City Ring Road and the Greater Dublin Drainage project.

Ministers approved a proposal from the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers TD, to confer critical status on nine projects and programmes.

The transport schemes are: MetroLink; the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme; and the Galway City Ring Road. Water projects are: the Water Supply Project for the Eastern and Midlands Region; the Greater Dublin Drainage Project; and the Limerick (Bunlicky) Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade and Bioresource Centre. Energy projects are: the North South 400 kV Interconnector; the Moneypoint 400 kV Series Capacitor Project; and the Letterkenny 110 kV Redevelopment Project.

The Act allows Government to deem State-delivered infrastructure of critical national importance. Once designated, all public bodies must prioritise any functions related to these schemes ahead of other work, reduce the time needed for authorisations, run processes in parallel where possible, and assign the administrative, technical and decision-making resources required.

These measures are designed to accelerate determinations for key State projects without directing particular outcomes or conflicting with other statutory duties. Further designation orders will be brought forward at regular intervals to sustain progress on nationally important infrastructure.

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Commenting on the decision, Minister Chambers said: "The designation of these projects demonstrates the Government's determination to break through inertia, slash project timelines and accelerate the delivery of the infrastructure that our people, communities and businesses urgently need. This Government has committed unprecedented levels of capital investment to infrastructure for the years ahead but the pace of delivery of this investment needs to accelerate."

He added: "Designated projects effectively go to the top of the 'queue' for faster processing and decision making by public bodies. Each one of the projects designated are of strategic national importance. They will strengthen our energy network, reduce energy bills, improve water and wastewater capacity and enhance public transport and connectivity. The focus of designation is on energy, transport and water infrastructure because this is the infrastructure we need to accelerate if we are to achieve all of our other national priorities, particularly housing."

He continued: "The new Critical Infrastructure Act provides the legal framework necessary to ensure that priority projects receive the focus they need. This marks a major step in accelerating the delivery of essential energy, water and transport infrastructure across the country and fulfils a key commitment of the Government's Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan."

MetroLink will provide a high-capacity rail link between Swords, Dublin Airport and the city centre; the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme will expand and modernise rail services across the Cork metropolitan area; and the Galway City Ring Road aims to improve connectivity and ease congestion in Galway.

In water services, the Water Supply Project for the Eastern and Midlands Region will bolster long-term water security for Dublin and neighbouring counties. The Greater Dublin Drainage Project and the upgrade of the Bunlicky wastewater treatment plant in Limerick will increase wastewater capacity to support future population and economic growth.

The energy schemes will reinforce the national electricity network, improve system resilience, help reduce electricity costs for consumers and underpin Ireland's transition to a low-carbon economy.

Major capital projects typically require numerous licences, permissions and consents from multiple bodies as they progress. For example, projects affecting the marine area need maritime area consent from the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA); projects with environmental impacts usually require Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authorisation; sectoral regulators license activities in their domains; and every project needs planning permission from An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP), followed by discharge of planning conditions certified by the relevant local authority.

Under the Act, all of these licences, consents and permissions for designated schemes must be expedited to the greatest extent possible, processed in parallel where feasible, and resourced accordingly. In practice, the benefits will depend on each project's stage: the Greater Dublin Drainage project has ACP planning permission but still requires statutory consents from MARA and the EPA, while the Moneypoint capacitor project has been appealed to ACP and no decision timeline is currently available.