Mid Antrim Upgrade
The Mid Antrim Upgrade is a high-capacity transmission system upgrade. It is planned between the Kells and Rasharkin Main substations in County Antrim.
Project overview
Much of our renewable electricity is generated from wind power in the North and West. Yet the greatest demand for electricity is in the East. To transport electricity where it's needed, we must strengthen the grid in the Mid-Antrim area.
The system between Kells and Rasharkin has become a point of congestion. Bottlenecks here mean we cannot readily transfer all of the clean energy available. To address this, the project plans for a high-capacity transmission system upgrade between the Kells and Rasharkin Main substations.
The upgrade includes:
- A new substation at Terrygowan
- An uprate of the existing double circuit between Kells and Terrygowan (one side only)
- A new 110 kV overhead line between Terrygowan and Rasharkin
Benefits of the project
To meet 2030 climate targets, Northern Ireland needs to double our electricity from clean sources. So far, we've added around 1600 MW of renewable generation to the grid. Most of this is from wind generation in the North and West.
This project will allow us to get more clean energy where it's needed. We expect it to save consumers an estimated £9 million per year by 2030.
The Mid Antrim upgrade will allow us to:
- Transport more clean energy to urban centres
- Reduce congestion and constraints on the transmission grid
- Strengthen the network, protecting a secure supply of electricity
- Meet our renewable energy targets and decarbonise the power system for future generations
Where are we now?
We are currently engaging with landowners who may be impacted by the project. Once the exact location of the infrastructure is agreed we will complete a final consultation before we lodge a planning application.
Project updates
June 2024
We are currently engaging with landowners who live in the identified route corridor where the overhead line will be placed.
Project links and documents
Have your say
We have engaged with local stakeholders throughout the project. The public participation charity Involve facilitated a two-part engagement process:
- A community forum. This gave local representatives a chance to reflect the views of their organisation or community.
- A citizen sounding board. This brought together a randomly selected group of people living in the proposed area of the new overhead line. They learned about issues, talked about them with one another and made recommendations about what should happen.
The process meant a broad group could learn about the upgrade and route options. It helped us to understand what matters to local communities, landowners and businesses.
To speak with us about the Mid Antrim Upgrade, please contact us by filling in the contact form below.