Irish water utility Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water) is set to lodge a formal planning application on Friday, December 19, for the largest water infrastructure project ever proposed in Ireland, meant to move water through a pipeline from the River Shannon to the capital.

The proposal, officially titled the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region, is widely known as the Shannon Pipeline—a multibillion-euro initiative aimed at boosting water supply in the capital.

The submission to An Coimisiún Pleanála will include more than 500 documents and requests for compulsory purchase orders to acquire necessary land for the project. 

If approved, the project will draw water from the Parteen Basin near Limerick, which would then be processed at a new treatment facility in Birdhill, and pumped through a 170-kilometer pipeline to the Peamount reservoir in County Dublin. 

Uisce Éireann says the network will provide water to approximately 1.7 million people across the region, with the utility estimating construction costs will fall between €4.6 billion (about $5.4 billion) and €6 billion (about $7 billion). 

While Uisce Éireann has already reached compensation agreements with farming organizations, the project remains a point of contention, with critics raising various concerns regarding the project. 

Some critics have raised concerns regarding the environmental impact on the Shannon catchment and potential risks to tourism in the Lough Derg area, while others argue that the government should prioritize fixing leaks in existing infrastructure or exploring desalination of the Irish Sea rather than relying on a long-distance pipeline.

However, Uisce Éireann maintains the project is a necessity, noting that water demand in the Greater Dublin Area is projected to increase 34% by 2044.

Pending planning approval, construction is scheduled to begin in 2028, with the utility expecting the project to be completed within five years.