East Meath-North Dublin Grid Upgrade

The East Meath-North Dublin Grid upgrade is a high-capacity 400 kV underground electricity cable proposed between Woodland substation, near Batterstown in Co Meath, to Belcamp substation, near Clonshaugh in north Dublin.

This upgrade will strengthen the electricity grid in the east of Meath and the north of Dublin to improve the transfer of power across the existing transmission network.

Meeting electricity demand

The project will address the increased electricity demand in east Meath and north Dublin. There is increased electricity demand in these areas is due to economic development and population growth.

Supporting renewable energy

The upgrade will help make the grid more renewable ready, helping to achieve Ireland's climate action targets of 80% of electricity coming from renewable sources by 2030.

Further development of renewable energy generation will increase Ireland's energy independence, reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels for electricity generation.

When progressing grid development projects, we follow a six-step approach. It ensures each step is clear and identifiable.

March 2024

Planning application lodged

EirGrid lodged the planning application with An Bord Pleanála on 28 March 2024.  The statutory public consultation period runs for seven weeks commencing on Friday 5 April.

This project will see a high-capacity, 400 kV underground connection built between Woodland substation, near Batterstown in Co Meath, and Belcamp substation, near Clonshaugh in north Dublin.

These works are needed to strengthen the grid in order to cater for increased electricity demand in the region, due to economic development and population growth. It will also assist in reducing the use of, and reliance upon, fossil fuels for power generation.

After the prior announcement of the Best Performing Option in September 2023, further assessments have taken place, as well as continued engagement with landowners, communities and statutory stakeholders. 

Additionally an Environmental Impact Assessment Report was compiled and submitted with the planning application and a Step 1-5 Engagement Report is also available which is a summary of engagement with the public and stakeholders.

The forum aims to ensure that stakeholders and community views are understood and properly considered as we deliver the project. 

It gives a voice to local communities and those impacted most by our infrastructure. The forum provides for open dialogue between the project team and stakeholders.

The forum offers advice to us on key project developments such as:

Dr Harriet Emerson from Adjust is the independent chair of this community forum.

Membership

In July 2022 we held an information evening about the setup and role of the forum and to inform interested stakeholders and community groups about the project. We then opened a public nomination period where community groups were invited to express an interest in joining the forum.

In addition, we invited Fingal County Council and Meath County Council to nominate an elected representative from each county council to the forum.

Membership of this forum has been evolving since its formation. If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact your Community Liaison Officers in the area: grainne.duffy@eirgrid.com or eoghan.osullivan@eirgrid.com.

Minutes of the community forum meetings can be found in the Project Documents section below.

Below are documents about the East Meath-North Dublin Grid Upgrade. We use a six-step process for developing new projects. These documents are organised based on the step of the project they refer to. 

Step 5 - Summary of Engagement with the Public and Stakeholders

Step 4 - Where Exactly Should We Build?

Step 4B

Step 4A

Step 4

Step 3 - What’s the Best Option and What Area May Be Affected? 

Step 2 - What Technologies Can Meet Future Needs of the Grid? 

Step 1 - How We Identify the Future Needs of the Electricity Grid 

Community Forum Meetings