EirGrid

Drumnakelly - Tamnamore Upgrade

The 110 kV network between Drumnakelly - Tamnamore is heavily congested. This project is set to upgrade current infrastructure to increase capacity.

Project overview

With the network in Drumnakelly - Tamnamore already heavily congested, the capacity of the circuits are insufficient to meet expected future demand.

This project aims to upgrade the current infrastructure. Our preferred option replaces the existing circuits with a higher capacity conductor and uprate both overhead lines to 200MVA.

Benefits of the project

To meet 2030 climate targets, Northern Ireland needs to double our electricity from clean sources. Most of this is from wind generation in the North and West.

However, most demand for electricity is in the urban centres of the East. Transferring this energy to high demand areas means the system is congested. Currently we can't move all available clean energy to where it is needed.

By solving this problem, we expect it to save consumers an estimated £3.69 million per year by 2030. The Drumnakelly- Tamnamore reinforencement will enable us to:

  • Transport more clean energy from the North and West to urban centres in the East
  • Reduce cogestion and contraints 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 a part 2 of our 3 part process. We will engage with stakeholders, landowners and the local community about our options. Feedback at this stage will help us to finalise plans.

Project updates

September 2024

Following approval from Utility Regulator, we have now moved into Part 2 of the Grid Development Process and are now progressing the preliminary preferred option for the project.

During Part 2, SONI will be engaging with a range of stakeholders including local residents, elected representatives, council officials, landowners, business groups and community organisations to discuss their views and collect feedback on the proposals. This engagement will include individual briefings with key stakeholders and elected representatives and a public consultation event where the project team will present the preferred option for developing the project and the rationale behind it.

We are inviting key stakeholders and members of the local community to attend our public engagement event to learn more about the project and offer feedback to help shape our plans for the project.

The details of our public consultation event is as follows:

2pm - 8pm, Thursday 26 September 2024

The Junction, 12 Beechvalley Way, Dungannon, BT70 1BS

Project documents

Have your say

Engaging with local communities is essential to our work. We always consult with residents, landowners and stakeholders in grid improvement works.

To speak with us about the Drumnakelly - Tamnamore Reinforcement project, please contact us by filling in the contact form below.

Contact

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