Eirgrid’s Powering Up Dublin project is aimed at enhancing the reliability of energy supply across the city and helping to future-proof its power infrastructure as further renewable generation options come on stream.
The project will see the installation of 50km of underground cables, replacing existing underground cables between a substation at Poolbeg and substations in Carrickmines and North Wall. A further two cables linking Poolbeg with a substation in Inchicore will be replaced, as well as a cable connecting North Wall and Finglas. It will also involve the construction of a new substation in Poolbeg, alongside the upgrading of substations elsewhere.
Those existing cables are old and there is increased demand for power due to population growth, the expanding economy and the electrification of heat and transport. The new cables will be more efficient and will offer the increased capacity that will be required to transport the huge amounts of electricity generated by new wind farms planned for the east coast to homes and businesses.
“Dublin needs more power,” says EirGrid chief infrastructure officer Michael Mahon. “We need to transport energy to the point of use. The MetroLink, new Dart projects and electric buses all need more power, and they can’t proceed without it.”
‘A gas emergency would quickly turn into an electricity emergency. It is low-risk, but high-consequence’
The secret to cooking a delicious, fuss free Christmas turkey? You just need a little help
How LEO Digital for Business is helping to boost small business competitiveness
‘I have to believe that this situation is not forever’: stress mounts in homeless parents and children living in claustrophobic one-room accommodation
Public consultation
Eleven potential routes for the underground cables have been identified and EirGrid is now in the process of deciding on the best five options. Route selection is being informed by a public consultation process which was completed in May. It involved 12 in-person information events; two online webinars; five community liaison clinics; two community forums; two business forums; a briefing for schools; an Oireachtas briefing; and other stakeholder briefings.
In all, 32 community meetings, nine meetings with business, and two meetings with public representatives were held.
“We received 90 submissions during the consultation period and we are now engaged in processing all of them along with other feedback received,” says Mahon. “That community engagement has been vitally important. It allows us to figure out what works from local perspectives. It is not just engineers in EirGrid deciding on the routes; stakeholders and communities inform the decisions.”
A key aspect of the overall stakeholder engagement process has been the establishment of the Dublin Infrastructure Forum, which brings together organisations involved in the provision of utilities and services.
“Engagement with the public and other stakeholders is hugely important,” says Mahon. “We need to be aware of what else is happening in the area. So many different stakeholders are planning other things and we could run into problems if we don’t know about them. We decided to establish the Dublin Infrastructure Forum as a result. We brought the stakeholders into a room together to understand the importance of what everyone is doing.”
The main aim of the forum, which meets four times a year, is to avoid scenarios in which, for example, EirGrid might dig up a road in 2024, “only to find that Gas Networks Ireland wants to dig it up in 2025 or that Irish Water needs to do something there in 2026, or that Bus Connects will be creating further change in 2027″, says Mahon. “It will hopefully allow for greater co-ordination between the organisations,” he adds.
A practical example of that co-ordination is the new Royal Canal greenway project. “That will have ducts installed to allow for cable installation if the greenway is part of one of the routes chosen,” says Mahon. “Dublin Port also has big plans around its area and they will be able to put ducts in as well.”
As a result of the forum, a large number of utility providers have shared details of their Dublin networks. “That means we know what’s there before we start digging a hole. That will allow us to go to a better street, if necessary.”
Benefits of working together
The forum isn’t just useful for EirGrid, of course. “By working with the other utilities, it can be used for other projects in Dublin,” Mahon points out. “For example, our last meeting was held in the Dublin Port offices. They shared their plans with the other stakeholders. The previous meeting was held in SEAI’s Dublin office where they shared their district heating plans. There is an expectation that the forum will continue beyond the life of Power Up Dublin and we hope other members will take advantage of it.”
It also affords people from the city’s local authorities an opportunity to share their perspectives on projects. “If you are doing work in a particular area, it is important to discuss it with the local authority,” Mahon says. “They don’t want streets dug up at key times.”
Looking ahead, Mahon says site investigations to verify data gathered via the forum and other sources will be carried out later in the year before routes are finalised.
“We plan on carrying out the project section by section to minimise disruption. For example, we can try to do some of the work in the summer months when the roads aren’t quite as busy,” he says. “We will try to get in and out as quickly as possible.”