ESB Networks announces €6.5 million investment to enhance Portlaoise centre

THE sod was turned on a new €6.5 million ESB Networks Training Centre (NTC) in Portlaoise on Thursday 30 October. The investment in the Portlaoise NTC will accelerate the development of key technical and craft skills necessary to support significant investment in the electricity network over the period ahead.

Minister for further and higher education, research, innovation and science James Lawless was joined by minister of state Marian Harkin and Nicholas Tarrant, managing director of ESB Networks, to officially mark the announcement of the €6.5 million investment in the site.

The investment in the NTC will accelerate the development of key technical and craft skills necessary to support significant investment in the electricity network over the period ahead.

ESB Networks is currently onboarding 156 new electrical apprentices and plans are underway for the onboarding of 120 qualified electricians in Q1 2026. This brings its total hiring of apprentices and qualified electricians since 2022 to over 700. ESB Networks is also driving to improve gender diversity in its craft employee group, which has resulted in an average of 26% women in apprenticeship programmes each year.

Speaking at the event, minister Lawless said: “This investment is a powerful signal of the continued growth of apprenticeships at the heart of Ireland’s skills strategy. With over €410 million committed to apprenticeship delivery from 2026, the government is building a system that delivers real opportunity, real careers and real impact. Whether it’s powering homes or driving climate action, ESB Networks apprentices are shaping Ireland’s future, developing the advanced skills that power a modern, sustainable and knowledge-driven economy.” Nicholas Tarrant said: “Today’s announcement is critical to ensuring that ESB Networks and our contractor partners have the necessary skills and capabilities to support a major capital investment programme in the electricity network that will enable housing, a growing economy and climate action. For generations, the ESB Networks national training centre has played a vital role in delivering technical, safety and electrical craft training to ESB Networks employees and our contractor partners. Through this investment in Portlaoise, we will expand our training delivery capability, which, in turn, will support the continued growth in resources to enable investment delivery in the electricity network over the coming years. I would like to thank minister Lawless and minister of state Harkin for being here to mark this important milestone with us.” In its Networks for Net Zero strategy, ESB Networks has committed to delivering a Net Zero ready electricity network by 2040. A €13.4 billion capital investment programme is planned over the next five years (PR6) to decarbonise electricity, deliver reliable and resilient infrastructure and empower customers to take more control over their energy use.