Ireland's planning authorities have made their position on electric vehicle infrastructure clear: EV charging is no longer optional. For developers, this means navigating a new layer of technical and regulatory complexity before a sod is turned. Yet the most consequential question 'who will ultimately own, manage, and expand the EV infrastructure' is too often left unanswered until it is too late to matter.
This article sets out what Irish developers need to understand about EV charging obligations, why the TIC/OMC distinction is fundamental to every aspect of the electrical design strategy, and what getting it wrong costs in practice.
Planning authorities across Ireland are applying EV conditions consistently and with increasing specificity. A typical requirement now includes:
On the surface this appears manageable. In practice, the engineering implications, particularly for basement and undercroft parking, are far-reaching, and the cost of under-designing at this stage is high.
The phrase 'future-proofing' is frequently misunderstood, and sometimes deliberately interpreted as lightly as possible. It is not.
In surface car parks, future-proofing requires:
In basement and undercroft parking, the requirements are more demanding:
Whether a development is taken in charge (TIC) by the local authority or managed by an Owners' Management Company (OMC) fundamentally changes who owns the EV infrastructure, who pays for its expansion, and who is responsible for its long-term management. These are not administrative details. They determine the entire design strategy.
• Future-proofed ducting integrates into public infrastructure strategy.
• Local Authorities can expand EV networks incrementally over time.
• Standard ESB approaches to on-street charging apply more readily.
• Long-term rollout responsibility is clearly assigned.
• The OMC inherits the full system at handover.
• Future installations require OMC agreement, funding, and third-party EV provider engagement.
• Load management and metering become significantly more complex.
• Poor early design can make future expansion commercially or technically unviable.
When TIC vs OMC status is not confirmed at the early design stage, engineers are designing blind. This is not a theoretical concern, it is a live problem on developments across Ireland.
The consequences of unclear ownership include:
As ESB guidance makes clear, uncertainty around infrastructure ownership is a direct cause of connection delays and redesign. These delays have real cost and programme consequences for developers.
Across a wide range of residential, commercial, and mixed-use developments, the same patterns emerge with notable consistency:
None of this is unusual anymore. All of it is avoidable with the right approach at the right stage.
The solution requires discipline at the earliest stage of a project, not during detailed design, and certainly not during construction.
01. Confirm TIC vs OMC status at planning stage
02. Design EV infrastructure as a long-term system, not as a minimum compliance exercise
03. Coordinate across civil, electrical, architectural, and planning disciplines from the outset
04. Engage with ESB Networks early, particularly for non-standard or large-scale EV strategies
Martin O’Sullivan is an accomplished professional with over a decade of experience in electrical disciplines. His career began as an electrician in the Irish Naval Service, where he swiftly transitioned to engineering. During his tenure in the Irish Naval Service, Martin served as the Ship’s Gunner, cultivating an unwavering commitment to precision and a ‘right first time’ ethos in overseeing the maintenance and operation of all onboard weapons. Additionally, he served as a Naval Diver, specializing in search patterns for underwater item location and recovery.
Martin holds a Certificate L7 in Building Information Modelling and a BEng in Electrical Engineering from CIT. His extensive background encompasses various roles, including a stint with IFF (formerly Dupont) in a Capital projects team, focusing on Electrical Infrastructure upgrades and site improvement projects ranging from under €1M to €10M. Notably, he played a pivotal role in the installation of a data centre in Dublin as part of the PSCS team.
His diverse experience extends to the maritime and construction sectors, with a particular emphasis on large-scale data centres and pharmaceutical capital projects. Starting as a Ships Electrical Artificer with the Irish Naval Service, Martin steadily progressed through the ranks from Project Engineer to Project Manager, reaching the position of Associate Director Electrical in the EDC Cork Office. Martin brings a methodical approach to his projects, ensuring their successful delivery.
