Powering Up Dublin

Dublin's electricity infrastructure is ageing and reaching its end of life. Work must be done now to transform and modernise the city's infrastructure so Dublin can continue to develop and thrive, while increasing the power from renewable sources.

In this first phase, with our project partners, we are installing over 50km of cables across Dublin. Upgrades will also take place in a number of electricity substations to support Dublin's electricity grid.

We have carried out studies to identify new underground cable routes that will link the following electricity substations to each other: 

Cable Routes 

In 2024, EirGrid published the Best Performing Options for three of the cable routes contained within the Powering Up Dublin cable replacement programme – Finglas to North Wall, North Wall to Poolbeg and Carrickmines to Poolbeg. 

Three options for the two cables required to connect the Inchicore substation with the Poolbeg substation were presented for feedback as part of the public consultation. In 2024, we discounted one of the options due to the discovery of several significant technical, environmental and historical constraints. 

EirGrid has been undertaking a series of assessments and site investigations on the other two proposed routes. These surveys identified areas on the routes that are not practically passable without major disruption to existing utilities, services and the local community.

EirGrid has determined that the best performing technical solution for the two cables required to connect the Inchicore substation to the Poolbeg substation is to build a microtunnel that can accommodate both circuits. 

A microtunnel is a tunnel built deep underground which can be used to carry high-voltage cables safely below the surface. This method avoids digging up roads and causing disruption to traffic and communities. 

A report detailing how EirGrid came to this decision is available to view and download in the link box below, along with an FAQ document.

You can also view and download the three information leaflets that will be delivered to relevant communities along each route. These provide a progress update on each route – Finglas to Poolbeg, Carrickmines to Poolbeg and Inchicore to Poolbeg. 

You can find earlier documents relating to the project in the documents section at the bottom of this page.

The proposed route of the Inchicore to Poolbeg microtunnel is still in development and will be published for consultation in 2026. 

In the meantime, if you have any queries you can get in touch with one of our dedicated community liaison officers. 

As part of the Powering Up Dublin programme, a new 220 kV/110 kV Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) has been identified as the best solution to address the city’s growing electricity demand. This GIS will be looped into one of the existing 220 kV circuits in the North Inner City.  

The new station will support: 

EirGrid has surveyed the East Wall area to identify suitable sites for this new transmission station to reinforce the electricity grid in Dublin City.  

Stakeholder and landowner engagement in the area over the last number of months has resulted in the identification of one site as a feasible option for the construction of the station. 

Detailed information on how the location was selected can be found in the Step 3 report below.

The site identified as most suitable during the Step 3 process is shown in the image below.  

The location is a vacant ESB owned carpark and brown field site on East Wall Road. The location is approximately 50m from the Finglas – Shellybanks 220 kV circuit which runs along the northern side of the M50.  It is proposed to construct a 220 kV/110 kV Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) at this site.  

Security and reliability of supply

Building a more resilient and reliable electricity grid helps ensure that everyone has power when and where they need it. This upgrade will also enable greater energy independence by using greener sources of electricity close to the city.  

Sustainability

Powering Up Dublin will enable the city's grid to use the electricity generated from offshore wind energy to the heart of the city. This is a vital step towards transitioning Ireland to a low carbon electricity future.

Meet Future Needs

These improvements will help to meet the growing and changing electricity needs of Dublin. This includes the electrification of transport systems, vehicles and heating, the requirements of large energy users and the development of housing and offices.

Economic

These critical upgrades will help strengthen Dublin's economy, encouraging and supporting future investment.  

Community

Our community benefit policy will directly support local communities in the areas that host the project infrastructure.

August

Central Dublin Substation

The Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) application to An Coimisiún Pleanála for the Central Dublin Substation Project has now been lodged. Full details on this application, including reports and drawings are available to view at www.EirGridCentralDublin.ie. 

July

Information Events

In June 2024 EirGrid, held three information events in the East Wall area to present the proposals to the community. 

Throughout these sessions, we collected valuable feedback regarding the appearance of the station, the impact of the substation on the general environment, safety, and concerns about noise levels. 

This summer, ahead of applying for planning permission for the Central Dublin Substation, EirGrid sought observations on the final proposed design features.

EirGrid has taken into account the feedback received during previous engagements and adjusted the final design where possible in response. 

Details of these changes and the various design options under consideration by EirGrid were presented in the brochure available at the link below, and explained at a number of information events at the Sean O’Casey Community Centre, St Mary's Road, East Wall, Dublin 1. Events were held:

EirGrid also held an open consultation from 23 June to 9 July. 

January

The feedback we collected through the public consultation and other stakeholder engagement, along with greater technical examination of each route, allowed EirGrid to determine the Best Performing Options for three of the cable routes presented in 2023. 

We have published the Best Performing Options for three of the cable routes associated with Powering Up Dublin:

Further work is required to finalise the two remaining routes needed to connect the Inchicore electricity substation to the Poolbeg electricity substation. 

Project brochures for each route are available at the links below. Detailed reports on how the best performing options for these three routes were reached can be found below. 

The brochures will take you through the changes we made to the original proposals based on the feedback we received through public consultation and stakeholder engagement. 

Each brochure also contains a route description and an FAQ. 

The reports summarise how consultation submissions and other stakeholder engagement such as community and business forums, community liaison outreach, along with surveys and assessments helped to determine the routes.

In September 2022, we launched the Business and Community Forums. The forums bring together people and organisations from across the greater Dublin area. It means we can discuss, understand and properly consider stakeholder and community views.

The role of these forums is to:

Community Forum Membership

Forum members include:

If you would like to become a member of the forum, please get in touch by:

Email: dublin@eirgrid.ie 
Phone: +353 87 188 7982

Business Forum Membership

Forum members consist of local businesses and business representatives across the Greater Dublin Area.

If you would like to become a member of the forum, please get in touch by:

Email: dublin@eirgrid.ie 
Phone: +353 87 188 7982