The public consultation process for the EirGrid Powering Up the North West grid upgrade project has just concluded. “We have been seeking input from the public to help us identify a final route corridor for the project,” says interim EirGrid chief infrastructure officer onshore Siobhán O’Shea.
The project is part of an unprecedented series of upgrades to grid infrastructure across the country being carried out by EirGrid, she explains. “This will help to safeguard our electricity supply into the future as our communities grow and develop, as well as achieving Ireland’s crucial climate commitments.”
Powering Up the North West is aimed at accommodating the growing demand for electricity in the northwest region as well as facilitating the integration of increased renewables on to the grid, O’Shea says.
“The existing network in the region is quite light from a transmission perspective, and it really needs to be strengthened and upgraded,” she says. “The whole point is to provide a secure and reliable electricity service for everybody. We need to cater for population growth which has been higher than expectations. We are going to hit capacity limits in the region if we don’t upgrade the network and we need to ensure the infrastructure is fit for purpose for everyone.”
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The upgrade is also important from a sustainability perspective. “The west coast region has fantastic renewables resources, and we need to be able to transport that power to where it is required both within the region and in the rest of the country,” she says.
It will support the local economy as well. “If you have a really strong electricity system, it attracts investment. Manufacturing industry tends to go where there are secure supplies of electricity. The upgraded infrastructure will help to attract new industry which will bring new employment and boost the local economy.”
And there will be direct benefits to local communities, she adds. “There will be a community benefit fund that will enable investment in sustainability and biodiversity and other community projects. It is important that communities get something back for hosting this infrastructure.”
The proposed upgrade will involve two new 220kV circuits in counties Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal. The first will run from Srananagh in Co Sligo to Clogher in Co Donegal. The second will run from Flagford in Co Roscommon to Srananagh, Co Sligo and will involve a partial replacement of the existing 110kV circuit between Flagford substation in Roscommon and Sligo substation with a new 220kV circuit, and the connection of this circuit into the Srananagh substation with new 220kV and 110kV circuits.
“They are separate but connected projects,” O’Shea points out. “EirGrid has a six-step project development process, and we are at step three at the moment where we are determining the best technology options and the best route options that will support the project. We are looking at two quite broad zones in the two project areas at present and will identify routes within them.”
As part of this step, EirGrid ran a public consultation seeking input on constraints which may impact the delivery of the circuits. The consultation included two online and six in-person events in locations across the region. “This will help us to identify a final route corridor during the next step of the programme,” says O’Shea. “It is critically important to us that local communities have their say. There is huge value in the information collected locally. It helps us to understand local issues and points of view much better. At all times, we want to minimise disruption and allay people’s concerns. It is also important for the community to understand what we are doing and why. We will analyse the feedback from the consultation and will then look at identifying viable routes taking the views of the community into account. The public engagement process works really well, it takes time, but it is the right approach.”
The identification of viable routes also has to take local topography into consideration. “It is an unbelievably stunning part of Ireland,” she says. “From our perspective, that makes route planning quite challenging. There are lots of special areas of conservation and other protected areas in the region and we need to be very cognisant of nature and biodiversity.”
Innovation will play a role in the project with composite pole technology identified as the preferred option for supporting the overhead lines. Composite pole sets are more durable and lightweight than traditional steel structures and are designed for strength and weather resistance. This is the first time that this technology will be used for such a project in Ireland. They are a proven technology and are used throughout the world, particularly in Canada.
“We are always looking for ways to maximise what we have in our technical toolkit and to find the best technology for different applications,” says O’Shea. “This area was hit hard by Storm Éowyn. Composite poles are very durable and are specifically designed to be weather resistant.”
