The project involves laying of 170 km pipeline to abstract water from river Shannon at Parteen Basin downstream of Lough Derg and piping it through counties Tipperary, Offaly, and Kildare to a reservoir at Peamount in County Dublin.

Jul 4, 2024

Noting that development was necessary to support housing and economic growth, the Irish government approved an EUR 5 billion project to build a water pipeline from river Shannon to Dublin.

As per media reports, the government of Ireland has described the 170 km pipeline as “one of the largest and most important infrastructure projects in the history of the State”. Currently, Dublin and its surrounding counties are heavily dependent on the River Liffey for water supply.

The government said that this dependence on the Liffey and two treatment works in County Kildare has created a ‘serious vulnerability’ to risks such as prolonged drought or contamination in the country’s most heavily populated areas.

Housing Minister Mr. Darragh O’Brien said the agreement by ministers in the coalition government was an ‘important first step’ in the multi-billion euro project that would ensure a sustainable water supply for the country both now and into the future. He added that it would fulfill one of the key recommendations in the recently published Housing Commission report on the need for urgent action on water supplies.

The project would involve abstracting water from the Shannon at Parteen Basin downstream of Lough Derg and piping it through counties Tipperary, Offaly, and Kildare to a reservoir at Peamount in County Dublin. The idea of a water pipeline has been considered for more than a decade.

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The government said that it has considered ‘hundreds’ of options and the proposal approved by the Irish cabinet was the culmination of ‘extensive and detailed’ appraisal of potential solutions and alternatives, in addition to widespread stakeholder consultation.

However, the proposal was likely to face some opposition on environmental grounds from groups in the Shannon region. The next stage in the project would be the submission of a planning application by state-owned water company, Uisce Éireann. The construction is expected to take around five years.