CP1021 East Meath to North Dublin Network Reinforcement Project Autumn 2020 DISCLAIMER COPYRIGHT NOTICE Table of Contents EirGrid and SONI have followed accepted All rights reserved. This entire publication is industry practice in the collection and analysis subject to the laws of copyright. This publication of data available. While all reasonable care may not be reproduced or transmitted in 1. Who are EirGrid – and what do we do? ...... 1 has been taken in the preparation of this data, any form or by any means, electronic or 2. Why is the project CP1021 (East Meath to North Dublin) needed?...... 2 EirGrid and SONI are not responsible for any manual, including photocopying without loss that may be attributed to the use of this the prior written permission of the TSOs. 2.1. Increased demand in East Meath and North Dublin...... 2 information. Prior to taking business decisions, 2.2. Reduced Fossil Fuel Generation in Dublin...... 2 interested parties are advised to seek separate ©SONI Ltd 2020 and independent opinion in relation to the Castlereagh House, 12 Manse Rd, 3. What is project CP1021 (East Meath to North Dublin)?...... 4 Belfast, BT6 9RT, Northern Ireland. matters covered by this report and should not 4. Technologies...... 5 rely solely upon data and information contained ©EirGrid Plc. 2020 5. List of Options...... 6 herein. Information in this document does The Oval, 160 Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, not amount to a recommendation in respect Dublin 4, D04 FW28, Ireland. 6. Proposed Study Area ...... 7 of any possible investment. This document 7. How we develop projects...... 8 does not purport to contain all the information that a prospective investor or participant in the Single Electricity Market may need. Feedback This document incorporates the Generation Capacity Report for Ireland and the Generation Capacity Statement for Northern Ireland.
EirGrid CP1021 North Dublin Reinforcement – Project information brochure Page 1 of 15 EirGrid CP1021 North Dublin Reinforcement – Project information brochure 1. Who are EirGrid 2. Why is the project East Meath to North – and what do we do? Dublin Network Reinforcement Project EirGrid operates and develops the electricity grid in Ireland. This includes CP1021 needed? interconnection with neighbouring grids In recent years power and the wholesale electricity market. generation has diversified. 2.1. Increased 2.2. Reduced Fossil Much of our power generation, demand in Fuel Generation The electricity grid brings power from where both fossil fueled and renewable, is located on East Meath and in Dublin it is generated to the ESB distribution the south west and west network – that supplies every home, farm coast of Ireland and must North Dublin and small business in Ireland. The grid also be transported to where it is There has been a surge in directly powers employers that use large needed. More recently, the power demand from large landscape of the Irish economy amounts of electricity. EirGrid ensures that energy users around East is also changing with East electricity is always available, at the most Meath and North Dublin. Meath and North Dublin more These large energy users are economic price possible – today, tomorrow than any other part of Ireland located at, or near, the existing and for decades to come. Electricity can seeing an increased demand substations at Clonee, Corduff, be generated from clean and renewable on power. Finglas, and Belcamp. sources like wind and solar power. These EirGrid predicts that this trend G will replace polluting sources of energy like In addition, demand from new will increase year on year to coal and oil. Because of this, electricity will housing, commercial and SME 2025 and beyond. increasingly be used for more reasons, like developments has consistently increased within the region. transport and heating. Project CP1021, East Meath to There are a limited number of North Dublin is a response to 2 existing electricity transmission key issues affecting the north To prepare for this, the electricity grid must circuits, (overhead lines and Dublin region due to these be made stronger and more flexible. It will underground cables) to supply increases in demand: need to carry more power, with most of these areas, and power flows i on these existing electricity this power coming from clean, renewable • increased demand in East circuits are expected to reach sources. This change will require significant Meath and North Dublin; capacity as the demand in the • reduced fossil fuel amounts of new grid infrastructure - such as region continues to increase. This project is driven in part generation in Dublin. new underground cables, pylons by the need to reduce reliance and substations. on fossil fuels in Dublin as this (For further information will be displaced by renewable please see Tomorrow’s Energy or more efficient fossil fuels Scenarios 2019 -http://www. elsewhere in the country. eirgridgroup.com/customer- and-industry/energy-future/) There are four major generation stations in Dublin connected at Finglas, Corduff, Shellybanks, and Irishtown respectively. The generators at Finglas, Corduff, and Shellybanks can be used to supply the load in East Meath and North Dublin.
EirGrid CP1021 North Dublin Reinforcement – Project information brochure Page 1 of 8 EirGrid CP1021 North Dublin Reinforcement – Project information brochure Page 2 of 8 Over time these generators are The existing circuits in the Project CP1021 will add likely to be displaced by newer, area between the Woodland capacity to the network more efficient, fossil fueled substation and Clonee, Corduff, between East Meath and North generators and increasing Finglas, and Belcamp, are Dublin to ensure the power can levels of renewables. forecasted to reach capacity be transmitted reliably. as the balance of power This means the power generation and demand produced elsewhere in the in the area changes, and country is transported to where we transition to a more it is needed around Clonee, sustainable electricity grid Corduff, Finglas, and Belcamp supported by 70% electricity on transmission circuits. consumption via renewable energy sources by 2030.
Currently, just 30% of the electricity that we use comes 3. What is project CP1021 (East Meath to from renewable energy. North Dublin)?
Reinforcement of this part A long list of reinforcement The Woodland substation is Last year’s Government’s of the network is needed options has been developed central to a number of existing Climate Action Plan 2019 has to continue to support the to identify the best possible projects to secure the future security of supply along all solution for this project. The of electricity supply. These are set the target of achieving 70% circuits feeding the east of options have been measured CP0966 Kildare –Meath Grid of electricity consumption via Meath and the north of Dublin against both technical and Upgrade project and the North between Woodland, Clonee, economic criteria. South Interconnector project. renewable energy sources Corduff, Finglas and Belcamp by 2030. substations. The starting Options that make use of point for the reinforcements the existing assets as well as examined in this project will new circuit options are being be from Woodland substation considered. Both Overhead line and the end point will be and Underground cable options Corduff, Finglas or Belcamp will be analysed as part of the substations. technical analysis.
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Competition Sustainability Security of Supply l o n ar re ure el facilitate relan nhance ecurit of u l on the co t of electricit tran ition to a lo carbon for ri h electricit con umer to con umer ener future
EirGrid CP1021 North Dublin Reinforcement – Project information brochure Page 3 of 8 EirGrid CP1021 North Dublin Reinforcement – Project information brochure Page 4 of 8 4. Technologies 5. List of Options
The project is at a very early The technologies under • Underground cables and By combining a number of 1. Corduff – Woodland The five criteria are: stage of development and we evaluation are: overhead lines. strong connection points on New 400 kV OHL Circuit are currently evaluating seven • 220 kV and 400 kV voltage the electricity grid with the 2. Corduff – Woodland • Technical performance; possible options, consisting • High-voltage Alternating levels: technology options identified New 400 kV UGC Circuit • Economic performance; of both overhead line (OHL) Current (AC) solution • The voltage level 110 above, we were able to create a 3. Corduff – Woodland • Environmental aspects; and underground cable (UGC) options: kV would not deliver the long-list of 21 possible project New 220 kV OHL Circuit • Deliverability aspects; and technologies that link the • AC is the standard capacity required to solve solutions. 4. Finglas – Woodland • Socio-Economic aspects. substations. technology that is used the identified problem. New 220 kV OHL Circuit throughout the Irish and Details of this long-list are 5. Finglas – Woodland By using these criteria we These options include a new international electricity available on www.eirgridgroup. New 400 kV UGC Circuit will further refine the best 220 kV overhead line; a new networks and a solution com/the-grid/projects/ 6. Finglas – Woodland performing options to a shorter 400 kV overhead line; a new based on this would cp1021/the-project/ New 400 kV OHL Circuit list. At the end of Step 2, we 220 kV underground cable, integrate well into 7. Belcamp – Woodland will have a short list of best and a new 400 kV underground the grid. We then compared all of New 400 kV OHL Circuit performing options that will cable. • High-voltage Direct the options in the long list be considered for further Current (DC) is an using two criteria – technical We propose to bring forward more detailed evaluation and We are now at Step Two of our alternative technology performance and economic these seven options for further analysis in Step 3. six-step process for developing that is typically used performance. study. The options will be projects. See page 8 for further for the transfer of large evaluated using a set of five information on this. amounts of power over The list was then refined to the criteria to further distinguish long distances. It is not five best-performing options: between the options being considered for performances. this project.
EirGrid CP1021 North Dublin Reinforcement – Project information brochure Page 5 of 8 EirGrid CP1021 North Dublin Reinforcement – Project information brochure Page 6 of 8 6. Proposed Study Area 7. How we develop projects
Many people might not take an active interest in a project until Step 1 we identify a precise route. d How do we identify the future However, it is important that we needs of the electricity grid? i 110 o erhea line gather your views before this Gr i 220 o erhea line d i 00 o erhea line point. d i 110 un er roun cable Gr d i 220 un er roun cable r d i DC un er roun cable We want you to know how and Step 2 G d i n icate Pro o e tu rea why we plan our projects, so What technologies can you can give us feedback as meet these needs? early as possible.
Designing an electricity transmission project can be a Step 3 complex and lengthy process. What’s the best option and what area may be affected?
D ND R Because of this, we use a P R N consistent project planning process to explore options and C RD make decisions. This means we Step 4 D RD N N N follow the same steps for every Where exactly should we build? CR C project. E P PP N R R N C N R C N The decision-making tools P R N R C R N we use, and the amount of R N Step 5 P N engagement we carry out at R R The planning process C R each step, depends on the
N R scale and complexity of each cD R N R project. R N D N N R N ND R R NC P R NR R N NC C R Step 6 N R N R N C Construction, energisation R D and benefi t sharing N N R D CR C R RN N R N N C N C R C C N NCR
EirGrid CP1021 North Dublin Reinforcement – Project information brochure Page 7 of 8 EirGrid CP1021 North Dublin Reinforcement – Project information brochure Page 8 of 8 Feedback
This document discusses our investigation to reinforce the transmission network in East Meath and North Dublin.
Its purpose is to provide information to interested parties on our investigations to date in a transparent way. We welcome your feedback on the range of technologies we have investigated, and the remaining 7 options. We also welcome your views on the options we have chosen to go forward, and the ones we have ruled out. We will consider your views, and other factors, to make a decision on the most appropriate technical solutions to bring forward to the next step.
If you have any comments on the technology options outlines above, or any other aspects of the development, please send them to [email protected]
We will provide detailed project information and updates at: http://www.eirgridgroup.com/the-grid/projects/cp1021/the-project/
For further information please contact Community Liaison Officer Grainne Duffy on 085 887 4798.
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