Repeated East Meath power outages are to be raised with senior ESB officials at a meeting on Friday following further disruption to homes and businesses in recent days.
Meath East TD and Minister of State Thomas Byrne says he has arranged the meeting after a series of outages affecting communities including Bettystown, Laytown and Mornington.
ESB Networks acknowledged earlier this month that customers in the three areas had experienced a higher-than-normal number of unplanned outages during 2026. At that point, six incidents had affected all or a significant proportion of the area.
A further major outage was reported in East Meath on Saturday, 19th September, affecting more than 2,000 customers.
“The further outages in recent days and over the weekend are extremely frustrating for residents and businesses who have already experienced repeated disruption this year,” Byrne said.
“At my insistence, I have arranged a meeting with senior ESB officials this Friday, which I will attend along with other local TDs.”
ESB carrying out network works
ESB Networks previously said the outages experienced in Bettystown, Laytown and Mornington had resulted from a number of separate faults rather than one recurring problem.
These included cable and transformer faults, deterioration of pole-top equipment and a low ground conductor incident, where a circuit was automatically disconnected for safety reasons.
The company said it was carrying out a programme of investment across the wider Drogheda area, including works at Julianstown aimed at increasing capacity and improving security of supply.
Those works were expected to be completed by the end of September.
Byrne said he wants further detail on why disruption is continuing and what additional measures may be needed.
“I will be putting the concerns of East Meath residents and businesses directly to ESB. We need clear answers on why these outages are continuing and, more importantly, what investment and works are required to provide a more reliable electricity supply.
“I appreciate that individual outages can have different causes, but the overall frequency of disruption in East Meath is a serious concern and needs to be addressed.”
Residents asked to share experiences
Byrne is also asking residents and businesses affected by recent outages to contact him ahead of Friday’s meeting.
“I know these issues well and have been pursuing them directly with ESB. However, ahead of Friday’s meeting, I would encourage any resident or business affected by the recent outages to contact me with their experience. I want to ensure that the impact on the community is put directly to senior ESB officials.
“People in East Meath need a dependable electricity supply. I expect Friday’s meeting to focus firmly on what can be done to improve reliability and minimise further disruption,” he concluded.
ESB Networks has previously apologised for the disruption experienced locally and said its current investment programme is intended to provide a more resilient network for Bettystown, Laytown and Mornington.
