Ireland’s push to ditch fossil fuels is set to reshape everyday life — from when families run appliances to how companies power machinery — as the country leans more heavily on electricity, according to ESB Networks CEO Paddy Hayes.
Mr Hayes said rising reliance on electricity for heating, transport and industrial processes would place far greater demands on the national power system.
In remarks to RTÉ News at COP31 in Turkey, he said technologies such as rooftop solar panels, smart meters and electric vehicle charging systems are already changing the relationship between generation and consumption, allowing power to be produced and used with more flexibility.
He spoke as governments at COP31 weigh a major international initiative aimed at lifting the share of global energy consumption met by electricity to 35% by 2035, up from roughly 23% today.
The proposed initiative sits at the heart of the summit’s broader effort to speed up the global transition away from fossil fuels.
“Electrification is absolutely massive,” Mr Hayes said.
He argued that as power generation becomes cleaner, switching other parts of the economy from fossil fuels to electricity offers a practical route to cutting carbon emissions.
At the same time, he said, the shift would test electricity networks as demand climbs.
“It’ll be challenging because it means that the demand will go up,” he said.
He noted that the growth of microgeneration — with households and businesses producing electricity themselves — is already altering how the system must operate and be managed.
Consumers already adapting
With more drivers moving to electric vehicles and more homes adopting heat pumps, Mr Hayes said the timing of electricity use will matter as much as the amount used.
“Flexibility is going to be a key part of this as well,” he said.
He said signs of change are already visible in customer behaviour.
“We’re seeing the smart use of electric charging by customers, picking the time of day. We’re seeing smart tariffs from lots of the electricity companies, and I think we’re going to see more of that in the future as we continue to electrify for the sake of the planet.”
He also emphasised the role of energy efficiency, saying reducing waste will be crucial as electricity demand rises.
Mr Hayes pointed to the work of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland in helping households, communities and industry cut unnecessary energy use.
He said electrification will only achieve its full climate impact if the electricity being consumed is increasingly produced from clean sources.
Mr Hayes highlighted Ireland’s progress in moving away from coal and peat for electricity generation, including the closure of coal-fired generation at Moneypoint in Co Clare.
He said the task now is twofold: keep decarbonising electricity production while expanding the use of clean electricity across transport, heating and industry.
The ESB chief said the transition also carries wider advantages, including improved energy security and affordability.
Mr Hayes welcomed Ireland’s participation at COP31 during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union, saying the country has an important role to play in international talks on the energy transition.
He likened the changes under way to the rural electrification programme of the last century, which transformed daily life across the country.
ESB will celebrate its centenary next year.
Mr Hayes said the first wave of electrification in Ireland had been described as a “quiet revolution”, and he framed today’s shift as another defining stage of national development.
“This is a different type of electrification, just as important, that’s already started, and it’s going to be really important that we drive it through to 2035.”
He summed up what lies ahead for Ireland and other countries: “The future is increasingly clean electricity, and then using that clean electricity to electrify industry, electrify heat, electrify transport, effectively electrify society.”
