ELECTRIC SHOCK: huge surge in power cuts across County Donegal

If you had thought there seemed to be more power cuts than usual of late, it turns out you were right.

In fact, County Donegal recorded one of highest increases in electricity outages in the entire country last year, new ESB data has revealed.

Donegal is covered by two ‘Planner Groups’, managed by ESB Networks, at Letterkenny and Killybegs – and both have seen a huge spike in planned and unplanned power outages.

The Letterkenny region, which includes Inishowen, recorded an enormous 44 per cent increase in power cuts annually, going from 1,564 outages in 2023 to 2,258 in 2024.

The Killybegs area was even worse; recording one of the highest increases in power cuts in the country, both planned and unplanned. Power cuts under the Killybegs planner region rose by 61 per cent in total, from 1,265 in 2023 to 2,042 in 2024.

The increases across the Donegal electrical districts were more than double the national average for the same period.

The official figures were among those revealed to Ireland South MEP, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, who has raised “significant concerns” about ESB Networks' performance in relation to power cuts faced by domestic and business customers across Ireland.

The data shows that overall, there has been a 40 per cent jump in electricity outages across Ireland from 2021 to 2024, including a 22 per cent increase last year alone.

The ESB said power outages can be caused by a variety of factors, including both planned maintenance and unplanned disruptions.

Planned outages occur when ESB Networks needs to interrupt the electricity supply for network upgrades, reinforcement or essential maintenance work, as well as facilitation of housing or commercial connections.

Unplanned outages can be caused by extreme weather events, third-party interference or damage, birds or animals coming into contact with infrastructure, timber or forestry works, and technical issues.

Focusing specifically on Donegal, the ESB has blamed the increase in outages on the county’s largely overhead wired electricity network, and on more scheduled improvement works than normal.

“Donegal’s electricity network primarily comprises overhead infrastructure and so is exposed to factors that can lead to power outages. More than €272,000 was invested in 2024 as part of its network upgrade, refurbishment, and automation programme,” an ESB spokesperson explained.

“Almost half a million was invested in maintenance and upgrade works at our Buncrana, Carndonagh and Moville substations to further enhance the network.”

“To facilitate this investment in the network in Donegal, there has been a significant increase in planned outages during 2024, and this will decrease in 2025 as projects are completed,” they continued.

The ESB said it aims to restore supply within less than four hours in 95 per cent of cases, while apologising to all customers impacted by power outages.

“ESB Networks employs various strategies to mitigate the impact of power outages, including proactive maintenance, network automation, rapid response to incidents, and measures to improve network resilience,” a spokesperson said.

“From 2011 to 2020, ESB Networks invested €5.3 billion to refurbish and upgrade the national electricity network. In 2024 alone, we invested €1.4 billion in electricity networks in Ireland and Northern Ireland,” they added.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fail MEP Ní Mhurchú has called for a new system of compensation for householders and small businesses for outages lasting more than 12 hours. She also said that customers should not be charged for standing charges and levies when the power is out.

“My worry is that ESB Networks may be trying to cut costs by not investing in our electricity infrastructure to the extent that they should be. Power cuts have an enormous impact on families, in particular as many homes are now passive homes that depend on heat pumps and don’t have open fires or stoves,” Ní Mhurchú pointed out.