ESB is and has been Ireland’s foremost energy company since its establishment in 1927. It is a diversified utility operating right across the electricity market: from generation, through transmission and distribution, to supply. It works in other related sectors where it can make a difference, including telecommunications, electric vehicle charging, home retrofits and more. ESB is 96.9% Irish Government-owned, and its core markets are the United Kingdom and Ireland. It employs upwards to 9,000 staff globally, with just under 1500 of those working in Northern Ireland. It believes that electricity is a social good that should be accessible and affordable for all. It also believes in acting with integrity and transparency, protecting the world around us and creating an inclusive and flexible culture that protects and empowers people. Across its diverse range of businesses, it uses its capability and expertise to develop smart and sustainable energy solutions to tackle climate change, one of the biggest challenges facing society today.
In Northern Ireland, ESB’s gas-fired Coolkeeragh Power Station produces enough energy to meet one third of NI’s electricity demand. In addition, it operates a portfolio in Northern Ireland of over 100MW of onshore wind across six wind farms, it owns NIE Networks – transporting electricity to over 910,000 customers daily, and its Northern Ireland electricity supply business, Electric Ireland, accounts for c.35% of the NI business market. Across GB, it has an onshore wind pipeline of 2.4GW (with 678MW of that consented), and in the offshore wind sphere it has a presence in 7.2GW of projects and an ownership share equating to 2.6GW. Of that 7.2GW, 6GW has already secured seabed rights, giving those projects a clear deliverability pathway. Located in Scottish waters 24km north of Portrush, ESB’s Malin Sea Wind has the potential to be the first offshore wind farm to connect into Northern Ireland. Development of the project will grow regional supply chain capacity and capability, and pave the way for a flourishing future offshore wind sector in NI waters.
