At ESB, we’re driven to make a difference: by generating and connecting sustainable, reliable, affordable electricity; powering social and economic development; and helping our customers to achieve net zero in their own lives. A resilient and increasingly decarbonised electricity system is essential to solve today’s biggest challenges: from addressing climate change, to strengthening energy security, to supporting the needs of a growing population and economy.
Launched in 2022 and most recently reviewed in 2026, ESB’s strategy ‘Driven to Make a Difference: Net Zero by 2040’ sets out our commitment to achieve net zero emissions across our operations by 2040 – with a strong focus on delivery in line with our role as a provider of critical national infrastructure.
Scroll down to read more about our three key priority areas and the enablers underpinning our strategy, or click below to download our detailed strategy document.
We are developing and connecting low-carbon technologies to deliver a secure net zero electricity system by 2040. We are developing new renewable electricity assets, including onshore and offshore wind and solar, while enabling the connection of renewable generation and renewable-enabling technologies to our electricity networks.
We are providing the resilient infrastructure and reliable electricity system to support a growing economy. This includes reliable networks that can underpin widespread electrification and support social and economic development, along with a re-purposed and more sustainable dispatchable generation fleet, combined with existing and new energy storage assets.
We are empowering, enabling and supporting customers and communities towards an affordable and clean energy future. We are committed to work as a trusted energy partner, providing best-value sustainable energy and supporting them to achieve net zero in their own lives.
| Decarbonised Electricity | Resilient Infrastructure | Empowered Customers |
|---|---|---|
| Grow our renewable generation and storage portfolio to 4GW by 2030 and 7GW by 2035 | Deliver c. €16 billion networks capital investment and significantly increase high-voltage network by 2030 | Achieve 85% customer satisfaction across customer-facing business lines |
| Significantly increase the amount of renewable generation connected to our networks | Enhance the performance of our networks, reducing overall customer minutes lost by 18-40% by 2035 | Enable >300,000 new housing and business connections by 2030 in support of Govt. targets |
| Reduce the carbon intensity of the electricity we generate to less than 100gCO2/kWh by 2035 | Deliver 3GW of firm generation to support security of supply | Deliver public transport connections in line with Govt. targets |
| Heightened focus on long-duration energy storage and decarbonising flexible generation | Strengthen resilience across our operations, climate adaptation, and physical security | New SPIs for flexible tariffs, net zero products and decarbonisation of Electric Ireland customers |
We are delivering safely and innovatively at scale and pace to support climate, social and economic development. It is critically important to accelerate delivery to meet the growing needs of the markets we serve, and we are building the partnerships, processes and capacity required to make this happen.
We are harnessing data, technology and responsible AI to enable our people, empower our customers, and accelerate performance. We are becoming a data-driven digital utility delivering excellent customer experience, an enhanced people experience, and modern business operations and processes enabled by technology.
We are growing the financial performance and strength required to deliver our strategy and ensure value for customers. Consistently strong financial performance will ensure we can deliver appropriate shareholder returns, maintain a strong investment-grade credit rating and secure optimal long-term funding to match investment plans for a net zero future.
We work to embed sustainability and social impact where we operate, by how we engage, and as we deliver. We will meet stakeholder expectations relating to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance and safety, and we will adopt a best practice transparency and compliance framework to track and report on progress.
Our people are critical to delivering our purpose and strategy. We are committed to inspiring our people to grow and deliver in a safe, healthy, inclusive environment that encourages creativity, commitment and ongoing learning. This underpins a high-performance, innovative, sustainable and customer-focused culture, which is anchored in our values and driven forward by our behaviours.
Driven to Make a Difference: Net Zero by 2040 has been developed using our strategy framework which ensures that actions and decisions are consistent with our purpose and values. Our strategy directly support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which provide a global blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030. We are focusing particularly on three of the SDGs where we can make a lasting and tangible difference.