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: 

What's Happening Now?

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.  

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

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

Later this year, EirGrid will apply for planning permission for the Central Dublin Substation. 

Before we do this, we are seeking your observations on the final proposed design features.

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

All details of these changes and the various design options under consideration by EirGrid can be viewed in the below brochure, or at one of our information events at the Sean O’Casey Community Centre, St Mary's Road, East Wall, Dublin 1, at the following times:

EirGrid will hold an open consultation from 23 June to 9 July. You can make a submission in a range of ways:

Central Dublin Substation Project
FREEPOST FDN 5312 
EirGrid PLC
The Oval 
160 Shelbourne Road
Dublin 4
D04 FW28

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. 

We will publish the Best Performing Options for these routes later this year.

Project brochures for each route are available at the links below. 

These 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. 

Detailed reports on how the best performing options for these three routes were reached can be found below. 

These 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.

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.

February

EirGrid has announced the routes for three high-voltage underground cable circuits for its Powering Up Dublin programme, following extensive public consultations.

Powering Up Dublin will see the replacement of over 50km of high-voltage cables that have been in use for almost half a century, and need upgrading to transform and modernise the city’s electricity supply. 

Responding to feedback from communities, businesses and other key stakeholders during consultations and outreach events over the course of the past year, EirGrid has now announced routes for cables linking electricity substations between:

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