The necessity of investment in critical infrastructure to allow for the further delivery of housing and to support international competitiveness was the core objective of the recently published NDP review in July 2025. The review specific targets the critical sectors of Energy, Water and Transport as the sectors on which all further development is dependent. Within these sectors, special provision has also been granted for transformational projects such as the two your question identifies and the Metrolink project. In total, the Government has provided €275.4 billion of capital funding for the next decade.
Of the €275.4 billion to be invested to 2035, €202.4 billion is Exchequer Voted Capital expenditure, with an initial €102.4 billion allocated by sector to Departments for 2026 to 2030 as part of Exchequer ceilings within the NDP. This reflects an increase of over €24 billion relative to the previous planned NDP ceilings for those years.
In addition to the significant Exchequer allocations, non-voted funding sources will also enable Government to invest an additional €10 billion in equity, to be released over the period 2026 to 2030.
• €3.5 billion in equity funding is being allocated from the Central Fund to be drawn down by ESB and EirGrid to fund enhanced energy grid capacity to support the Government’s housing and competitiveness objectives. This investment will be used to raise additional finance that will multiply the investment this additional equity can support.
• €2 billion in equity funding is being provided to Uisce Éireann in 2025 to enable the delivery of additional homes and a further €2.5 billion will be provided to Uisce Éireann for large scale water infrastructure projects over the period to 2030.
• €2 billion will be released from the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund to support low-carbon transport investment and will provide a dedicated funding stream for the MetroLink project.
This is the most ambitious capital investment programme ever launched by the State. It will invest unprecedented amounts in critical infrastructure across housing, water, energy and transport, transforming the country for this and future generations.
