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Ireland’s water regulator has issued a significant financial penalty to Uisce Éireann after the utility failed to meet a key commitment to reduce water leakage across the network.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) had set a target to cut leakage by 176 million litres between 2020 and 2024. According to the regulator’s latest assessment, only 90 million litres were saved over that period. As a consequence, the CRU has imposed a €20 million penalty and reduced the revenue allowance available to the utility for the next five years by the same amount.

Uisce Éireann acknowledged that the target had not been achieved but pointed to a sharp rise in population and a corresponding 15 percent increase in water demand as major challenges. The organisation highlighted ongoing progress, noting that the national leakage rate has fallen from 48 percent in 2014 to 36 percent today. In the Greater Dublin Area, the rate has been reduced to around 30 percent.

The utility said it is expanding the number of repairs carried out annually, installing smart meters to give more accurate information on usage, replacing ageing infrastructure and investing in advanced technology to identify leaks in difficult locations. Ireland’s water network stretches approximately 65,000 kilometres, with many pipes between 75 and 95 years old, a level of ageing far above the European average. Increased demand, new connections and the impact of climate change have all contributed to more frequent and harder to detect leaks.

Much of the network lies under busy roads and buildings and is often surrounded by other utility services, creating additional obstacles during repair work.

Despite the setback on leakage, the CRU noted that Uisce Éireann met most of its other operational targets. The regulator has approved a major investment programme worth €13.6 billion for the years 2025 to 2029. This represents an increase of around fifty percent compared with the previous regulatory cycle and is separate from a further €2 billion allocated through the National Development Plan.

The approved investment will support expanded capacity in the water system and fund new infrastructure for both drinking water and wastewater treatment. The CRU said its final decision involved only a small reduction to Uisce Éireann’s original funding request of €13.8 billion. While non domestic customers can expect higher bills, the regulator said the investment will deliver improvements in water quality and reliability of services.

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