The European Investment Bank (EIB) has launched a new advisory initiative to help Ireland scale up district heating systems that reduce emissions, lower heating bills, and create green jobs across Irish cities.

Announced in Malahide by Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien, alongside EIB Vice President Ioannis Tsakiris and SEAI CEO William Walsh, the project supports Ireland’s national decarbonisation strategy. It focuses on building the institutional, technical, and financial capacity needed to deliver viable district heating investments nationwide.

District heating networks distribute heat from centralised sources — such as industrial waste heat, biomass, or geothermal systems — to homes and buildings via insulated pipelines. The technology is common across Northern and Central Europe and is proven to reduce costs and emissions. Currently, less than 1% of Ireland’s heating demand is met by district systems, revealing significant room for growth.

The EIB’s advisory engagement, supported by the European Commission’s Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission under the InvestEU Advisory Hub, will help Dublin and Cork pioneer scalable pilot projects. These cities are part of Europe’s network of Climate Neutral and Smart Cities working to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

Minister O’Brien said the collaboration will “lay the foundation for a more resilient, energy-secure Ireland,” while Tsakiris highlighted the EIB’s role in helping local communities move “from ambition to action.” Walsh of SEAI added that district heating is “crucial to meeting Ireland’s clean heat challenge” and will help reuse surplus energy from industries and data centres.

Explore the full article to see how Ireland’s cities are positioning district heating at the centre of their clean energy future.