CIF Director of Specialist Contracting Denise Tuffy considers how a foundation of embracing technology and innovation has led to global recognition for Ireland’s mechanical and electrical sector
Ireland’s specialist contractors have long been a pillar of strength within Ireland’s construction sector, demonstrating unrivalled expertise, technical ability, and innovative spirit.
Over the past two decades, this sector has not only kept pace with international competitors, they have consistently set the bar higher.
Irish mechanical and electrical contractors are now globally recognised as not just competitive in the international market, but among the very best. From cutting-edge pharmaceutical facilities to complex data centres, Ireland’s mechanical and electrical contractors deliver excellence, precision, and innovation time and again.
However, despite this wealth of capability, Ireland faces a critical challenge that threatens to undermine this success story on a national level: our inadequate infrastructure, particularly our electricity grid.
For years, the growing infrastructure deficit has been telegraphed. Now we have reached a tipping point. While Irish contractors continue to build to world-class standards abroad, they are unable to do so at home, particularly in relation to data centres, due to electricity grid capacity being a primary constraint.
It’s a deeply frustrating paradox, the capacity to design and build exceptional structures is here, but the foundation utilities they depend on, particularly electricity, are not. This is not a future problem, it is happening now.
There are already instances where major projects faced significant delays because connection to the electricity grid was simply not possible. This is not just an operational headache, it directly threatens our competitiveness on the global stage.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) has long been a cornerstone of Ireland’s economic strategy. We have attracted major multinationals by offering a highly skilled workforce, a pro-business environment, and the ability to deliver world-class facilities.
But FDI is fiercely competitive. If we cannot guarantee a basic, reliable, and affordable energy supply, in addition to reasonable planning surety, water connections and housing for workers, investors will look elsewhere, and they surely are.
The pressures on Ireland’s electricity grid are only set to increase. By 2030, it’s projected that data centres alone could account for 30 per cent of electricity demand. Meanwhile, Irish electricity prices remain among the highest in the world, despite our significant investment in renewable energy sources.
Without immediate and sustained action to upgrade and future-proof our grid infrastructure, the risks to Ireland’s construction sector, and to our broader economy, will continue to grow.
It’s crucial to emphasise that the success of our mechanical and electrical contractors has been built on a foundation of embracing technology, innovation, off-site construction, and productivity enhancements. They didn’t get to where they are by standing still.
They adapted, innovated, and excelled, and in doing so, earned a global reputation for excellence. Now, we need the same spirit applied at a national infrastructure level.
The construction sector has shown what is possible when expertise is matched by ambition and investment. The specialist contracting sector has proven what can be achieved through forward-thinking and excellence.
Ireland must now do the same with its infrastructure, because the time to pay the bill for our long-standing deficits has arrived.
