Ireland’s Grid Development Strategy...on Ireland’s Grid Development Strategy. That review responded to feedback received from the public over recent years. It was part of our renewed

Ireland’s Grid Development

StrategyYour Grid, Your Tomorrow

Technical Report

7241 EirGrid - Technical Appendix to 2016 Grid Review (Cover & Back Cover Proof 05).indd 1 19/01/2017 12:22


EirGridTechnicalReport Page2

TableofContentsChapter1:Introduction........................................................................................................................4

Chapter2:DriversofGridInvestment..................................................................................................6

ChangesinDemandforElectricity.....................................................................................................6

RegionalDemandGrowth..............................................................................................................8

ForecastingDemand......................................................................................................................8

PopulationChange.........................................................................................................................9

ChangingGenerationPatterns...........................................................................................................9

RenewableGeneration...................................................................................................................9

ConventionalGeneration.............................................................................................................10

BalancewithNorthernIreland.....................................................................................................11

InterconnectiontoEurope...............................................................................................................11

Chapter3:TechnologyandInnovation...............................................................................................13

Technologicalchanges.....................................................................................................................14

ReactivePower.............................................................................................................................14

SystemInertia...............................................................................................................................15

HarmonicDistortion.....................................................................................................................15

Technology–Availablenow.............................................................................................................16

HighTemperatureLowSag(HTLS)overheadlineconductors.....................................................16

ACundergroundcabletechnologyanditsuse.............................................................................16

LinearHVDCandDCtransmission................................................................................................17

SeriesCompensation....................................................................................................................18

DynamicLineRating.....................................................................................................................18

ReactivePowerManagementDevices.........................................................................................18

Technology–ReadyforTrialUse.....................................................................................................19

PowerLineGuardianandRouter.................................................................................................19

VoltageUprating..........................................................................................................................20

NewOverheadLineStructures/NewPylonDesigns.....................................................................21

Technology–Research&DevelopmentStage.................................................................................22

ComplexDCNetworks..................................................................................................................22

NewVoltageUpratingStrategies.................................................................................................22

OtherSmartGridConcepts..............................................................................................................23

Tomorrow’sEnergyScenarios..........................................................................................................23

Chapter4:StrategyforGridDevelopment..........................................................................................25

Strategy1.....................................................................................................................................25

Strategy2.....................................................................................................................................26

Strategy3.....................................................................................................................................26

Impactoftechnologicalchoice.........................................................................................................26

080816 EirGrid Technical Report - Grid Development Strategy - 19.01.2017 - ALL A4 PDFX1a.pdf 2 19/01/2017 19:03


GridDevelopmentStrategy..............................................................................................................26

Chapter5:RegionalDevelopmentandMajorProjects........................................................................29

BorderRegion...................................................................................................................................33

TheNorth-SouthInterconnector..................................................................................................35

TheNorthwest..............................................................................................................................36

WestRegion.....................................................................................................................................38

TheGridWestProject..................................................................................................................40

Mid-WestRegion..............................................................................................................................42

TheMoneypoint–NorthKerryProject........................................................................................44

Moneypoint400/220/110kVSubstation.....................................................................................45

South-WestRegion...........................................................................................................................46

NewKnockanure,BallynahullaandBallyvouskill220/110kVSubstationProjects......................48

NewKilpaddoge220/110kVSubstationProject..........................................................................48

MidlandsRegion...............................................................................................................................50

Laois-KilkennyReinforcementProject.........................................................................................52

South-EastRegion............................................................................................................................53

TheRegionalSolution(formerlytheGridLinkProject)................................................................55

Mid-EastRegion...............................................................................................................................57

ReinforcementoftheGreaterDublinAreabetweenDunstownandWoodland400kVSubstations...................................................................................................................................59

New220kVSubstationnearClonee,Co.Meath.........................................................................60

DublinRegion...................................................................................................................................61

NewBelcamp220/110kVSubstationProject..............................................................................63

NewWestDublin220/110kVSubstationProject........................................................................64

Published January 2017



Chapter1:IntroductionEirGrid’srole,asastate-ownedcompany,istomanageandoperateIreland’snationalgridtoensureasafe,securesupplyofelectricitytohomes,businessesandindustry.InordertoimplementGovernmentenergypolicy,weneedtodeveloptheIrishelectricitytransmissionsystemtoguaranteeasecuresupplyofelectricityfortodayandforfuturegenerations.

In2008wepublishedourlong-termstrategytodevelopthegrid–Grid25–whichsetouthowwewouldseektomeettheseresponsibilities.TheGrid25StrategyoutlinedtheinvestmentrequiredtodevelopthetransmissionnetworkinordertofutureproofIreland’selectricityneeds.Itwouldfacilitatemoresustainable,competitive,andsecurepowersuppliesinsupportofeconomicandsocialdevelopment,andreachingIrishrenewableenergytargets.

InMarch2015wepublished“YourGrid,YourViews,YourTomorrow.”ADiscussionPaperonIreland’sGridDevelopmentStrategy.Thatreviewrespondedtofeedbackreceivedfromthepublicoverrecentyears.Itwaspartofourrenewedeffortstoencouragemoreparticipationinourdecision-makingprocess.Italsoreflectedanupdatedeconomiccontextandourgrowingexperienceofnewtechnologies.

WethankthosewhoprovidedfeedbacktoYourGrid,YourViews,YourTomorrowduringourpublicconsultation.Wehavepublishedaseparatereportonthisconsultationalongsidethisdocument.

Indraftingthis,ourupdatedgriddevelopmentstrategy,wetookaccountofthisfeedback.WealsotookintoaccounttheGovernment’sEnergyWhitePaper,publishedinDecember2015.

WewerefurtherguidedbytheActionPlanforJobsandtheIDA’s2015-2019strategy,whichincludesambitiousregionaltargets.

Ourgriddevelopmentstrategyisbasedonavailableinformationatthetimeofpublication,andisaninformedviewofourfutureneedsinthecomingyears.However,wewillcontinuetoreviewitonaregularbasis.Thisistoensurethatourstrategycontinuestobeuptodate,andfitforpurposeinachangingIreland.

TheUnitedKingdom’sJune2016referendumonEUmembershiphasintroducednewconsiderations.However,mostissuescoveredbyourgriddevelopmentstrategyrelatetotheRepublicofIrelandonly,andsoareunaffected.

RegardlessoftheUKleavingtheEU,therewillalwaysbemanysharedbenefitsofworkingcloselywithournearestneighbours.WeaimtomaintainastrongrelationshipbetweenIreland,NorthernIrelandandGreatBritainonenergymatters.

ThisincludestheNorthSouthInterconnector.ThisprojectisneededtoimprovethesecurityofsupplyacrosstheislandofIreland.Itwillreducecostsandultimatelysavemoneyfortheelectricitycustomer.

Thisdocumentprovidesmoreinformationonsomeofthetechnicalmattersunderpinningthereview.Chapter2providesbackgroundtothedriversforgriddevelopment.Chapter3exploresthevarioustechnologiescurrentlyavailableforuseonthetransmissionsystem,andothersinearlierstagesofresearchanddevelopment.ThestrategyisdescribedinChapter4witharegionalbreakdownofthemainprojectsoutlinedinChapter5.



WecommissionedLondonPowerAssociatestocarryoutatechnicalpeerreviewofourdraftstrategy.

Indeconeconomicconsultantscarriedoutaneconomicreviewofthedraftstrategy.

Thesereportswerepublishedasappendicestoourdraftstrategydocumentin2015andareavailableonlineatwww.eirgridgroup.com.

Theiranalysiswasreflectedinthedraftstrategyanditisalsoreflectedintheupdatedstrategy.



Chapter2:DriversofGridInvestmentWherethereissignificantgrowthindemandforelectricity,changesingenerationornewinterconnectors,thistendstoalterthepowerflowsacrossthetransmissiongrid.Inaddition,transmissionassetshaveafinitelifespan.

Thetransmissionsystemmustmeetcertainstandards,identifiedintheTransmissionSystemSecurityandPlanningStandards1(TSSPS),whichsetoutwhatthegridneedstobeabletodoandarepublishedatwww.eirgridgroup.com.Wherethesystemisnotcapableofmeetingthosestandards,reinforcementisoftennecessary.

Inthecaseofassetcondition,investmentisprimarilydrivenbyfactorssuchastheageoftheasset,obsolescenceanditscondition.

Themaindriversofgridinvestmentare:• Changesindemandforelectricity;• Changinggenerationpatterns;• Interconnectiondevelopment;and• Assetcondition.

ChangesinDemandforElectricityThereisarelationshipbetweeneconomicgrowthandelectricityconsumption.Duetomoreefficientenergyusethisrelationshipischanging–proportionallylessenergyisnowrequiredeventhoughtheeconomyisgrowing.Inadditionmanynewindustries,suchasdatacentres,havedisproportionatelyhighpowerdemands.

ElectricitydemandinIrelandislinkedtorecenteconomicfluctuations.Followinga7.1%fallindemandbetween2008and2012,electricitydemandthengrewagain.In2013,2014and2015itincreasedby1.1%,0.5%and2.9%respectively.Thisrelatestogrowthof3.4%2,7.3%3and5.7%4inIreland’sGrossNationalProduct(GNP)between2013and2015.Thedemandforelectricityisnowexpectedtogrowonaverageby2.0%everyyearuntil2025.

Insummary,theeconomicdownturnreducedelectricitydemand.However,recenttrendsnowpointtosteadygrowthintheeconomyandinelectricityuseupto2025.

Our demand forecasts are based on the Economic and Social Research Institute’s (ESRI)short-termandlong-termforecastofeconomicactivityandareupdatedannuallyintheAllIslandGenerationCapacityStatement5(GCS)whichisavailableonourwebsite.

Since2008Irelandandtheglobaleconomyhavebeenthroughtheworstrecessioninmanydecades.Therehavebeenconsiderablechangesinfuturedemandforecasts.

Figure2-1illustratesthe2008,2015and2016peakdemandforecastsupto2025.Since2008wehavescaledbackourpeakdemandforecastfor2025.The2016forecastfor2025isapproximately5,500MW,comparedto8,000MWthatweforecastedin2008.Thecurrent2016forecastfor2025hasincreasedbyapproximately400MWcomparedtothe2015

1 Formerly the Transmission Planning Criteria (TPC). 2 Modified GNP figure provided by the ESRI. 3 Modified GNP figure provided by the ESRI. 4 This is the CSO’s GNP figure. 5 Formerly the Generation Adequacy Report (GAR).



forecastpublishedinourdraftgriddevelopmentstrategyin2015.Areasonforthisincreaseistheexpectedconnectionofadditionallargedatacentres.

Figure2-1ActualDemandandForecastDemandto2025

Oneofthegovernment’smainprioritiesforcreatingasustainableenergyfutureistheareaof energy efficiency. A successful energy efficiency campaign will improve performanceacross all energy sectors, including in electrification of transport and heat, and smartmetering,detailsofwhichare in theNationalEnergyEfficiencyActionPlan (NEEAP)6andtheNationalRenewableEnergyActionPlan(NREAP)7.Thesemeasureshavebeenfactoredintothe2016forecastsoutto2025,andwewillcontinuetofactorthemintoourannualAllIslandGenerationCapacityStatement.

Thepreviouslyanticipatedincreaseintheuseofelectricvehiclesby2020looksunlikelytobeachievedwithintheanticipatedtimeframe,althoughgovernmentpoliciesandimprovementsinbatterytechnologymaychangethisoverthenextdecadeandbeyond2025.

TherolloutofsmartmetersthroughtheNationalSmartMeteringPlanisexpectedtodeliverafundamentalchangetodemandsideusagepatterns.8Thistechnologyisinthedevelopmentphaseandanumberofmetertrialshavetakenplace.

6 http://www.dccae.gov.ie/energy/en-ie/Energy-Efficiency/Pages/National-Energy-Efficiency-Action-Plan-(NEEAP).aspx 7 http://www.dccae.gov.ie/energy/en-ie/Renewable-Energy/Pages/Action-Plan.aspx 8 http://www.cer.ie/electricity-gas/smart-metering

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PeakDem

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RecordedPeakDemand

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2016Forecast(basedonMedianPeakForecast,GenerationCapacityStatement2016-25)



Microgeneration,includingsolarphotovoltaicandsmall-scalewind,willalsohaveaninfluenceondemandpatterns.Wewillcontinuetomonitorprogressandtechnologydevelopmentsinthesekeyareas.

Takentogether,theconsequenceofallthesedevelopmentsisthatthetraditionallinkbetweeneconomicgrowthandelectricitydemandwillbecomeweaker.

RegionalDemandGrowthAsoureconomyreturnstogrowth,therenewalandexpansionoftheelectricitytransmissionsystembecomesevenmorecriticaltosupportingjobcreation,regionaleconomicdevelopmentandeconomiccompetitiveness.Developinga21stcenturytransmissionsystemwilldeliverconcretesocial,economicandenvironmentalbenefitstoeverypersoninIreland.

Inparticular,onlybyinvestinginasecuretransmissiongridcanweopenuplargeareasofthe country to investment from the types of high-tech industries currently clustered, bynecessity, around our larger cities. In this way, developing the transmission grid is animportantpartofsupportingtheGovernment’sdrivetocreatejobsintheregions.9

Irelandisapremiumdestinationtohostdigitalassetsforavarietyofreasonsincluding:• Fasttranscontinentalfibrelinks;• Asecure,reliablepowersupply;• Favourablefinancialarrangementsincludingtaxation;• Economicstabilityandapro-businesslegislativeenvironment;• StrongsupportfromtheGovernmentandassociatedbodies;and• Availabilityofaskilledlocalworkforce.

Currentlyanumberofdatacentreoperatorsareeithercontractedtoconnecttothegridorareintheprocessofbeingissuedanofferforconnectiontothegridinvariouspartsofthecountry.Theseproposalsrepresentasubstantialincreaseindemandconnectingby2020resultinginasignificantstepincreaseindemandpredictions.Inadditiontherecontinuestobefurtherexpressionsofinterestinlocatinglarge-scaledatacentresinIreland.Ifthesecurrentexpressionsofinterestweretomaterialisefurtherstepincreasesindemandwouldalsooccur.

Dependingonthefinalnumberandscaleoftheseprojectsthataredevelopednewtransmissionsolutionsadditionaltothoseinthegriddevelopmentstrategyarelikelytoberequired.

ForecastingDemandAsnotedabovetherearesignificantchangesexpectedovertheshorttomediumterm(e.g.demandsideresponse,electrificationofheatandtransport,newlargedemandsites-datacentres)whichisleadingtoincreaseddifficultyinforecastingshort,mediumandlong-termdemand.However,weareactivelyandprudentlymonitoringthesechangestoensureonlyefficientandeconomicinvestmentsinthetransmissionnetworktakeplace.

9 See the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs at https://www.djei.ie/en/



PopulationChangePopulationgrowthmustalsobeconsideredwhenplanningthetransmissionsystem.AsthepopulationofIrelandgrows,demandforelectricitycanalsoincrease.

Accordingtothe2016census,ourpopulationwas4.76million,up3.7%from2011.

TheCentralStatisticsOffice(CSO)projectionssuggestthepopulationwillgrowbyuptoanaverageof1%ayearfrom2011to2026.Thisisatotalincreaseof734,000peopleoverthesameperiod.10

Inconsideringhowtoapproachthedevelopmentofthetransmissionsystem,wemustensurethatthegrowingdemandforelectricityfromourincreasingpopulationcanbesecurelymet.

ChangingGenerationPatterns

RenewableGeneration

Ireland is in a strong position to meet the Government’s renewable energy target ofmeeting40%ofelectricitydemandfromrenewableenergyby2020.11Alargeproportionofthisrenewableelectricitywillcomefromwindpower.

InIreland,theGroupProcessingApproachor‘Gate’Processisthemeansbywhichmostgeneration,includingrenewablegeneration,iscurrentlycontractedtoconnecttothegrid.Todatetherehavebeenthree‘Gates’inwhichapplicationsforconnectionswereprocessedinbatchesratherthansequentially.

IntheGate1and2connectionofferprocessesin2004/5and2006/7respectivelyatotalofaround1,700MWofconnectionofferswereissuedbyESBNetworksandEirGridandacceptedbyrenewablegenerators.

Approximately4,000MWofrenewablegenerationcapacityreceivedconnectionoffers inthe Gate 3 process. The uptake of Gate 3 offers is particularly high with 83% of offersaccepted,1%underconsiderationandonly16%havebeendeclined.

ThishighrateofacceptanceisinlinewiththeoriginalGrid25assumptionsin2008.Thismeansweexpectagreaternumberofsmaller,intermittent,generatorsconnectingindispersedareas,remotefromtraditionalloadcentres.

Aspeakdemandandenergyforecastshavebeenscaledback,thissuggeststhattherequiredwindpowercapacitytoassistinmeetingthe40%renewabletargetwillbebetweenapproximately3,800and4,100MW.

Thisisanincreaseintherequirementforwindcapacitysincetheforecastin2015.Thisisduetotheincreaseinourforecastsoftheoveralldemandforelectricity.

Thisbandofpossiblewindcapacityrequirementstomeetthe2020renewabletargetisillustratedinFigure2-2below.

10 CSO Population and Labour Force Projection 2016-2046 (2013) http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/population/2013/poplabfor2016_2046.pdf 11 In 2008 the Government increased the target from 33% to 40%. http://www.dccae.gov.ie/


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Thisanalysisconcludesthatthisisunlikelytohappenasplannedandthatgenerationwillcomefromconventionalandrenewablegenerationlocatedinthewest,southwestandsoutheast.Thiswillonlyservetoincreasethemainpowerflowsfromtheselocations.Therefore,thepowerflowassumptionsin2008arestillvalid.

BalancewithNorthernIrelandInthepastIrelandbenefitedfromelectricityimportsfromNorthernIrelandtobalancesupplyanddemandandtomaintainsecurityofsupply.InrecenttimesthegenerationportfoliohaschangedwiththecommissioningofnewandmoreefficientplantsinIreland.ThisisexpectedtochangefurtherbecauseofanticipatedplantretirementsinNorthernIreland.

ItisthereforelikelythatinthenextdecadeNorthernIrelandwillneedtoimportmorepowerattimesofhighdemandtoensureasecuresupplyofelectricity.FormoredetailedanalysisseetheAllIslandGenerationCapacityStatementwhichisavailableonourwebsite.

InterconnectiontoEuropeInterconnectionbetweenjurisdictionsisheavilysupportedbybothnationalandEuropeanlegislationandpolicies.Interconnectioncontributestomarketintegrationandfurtherscompetition,enhancessecurityofsupplyandfacilitatestheincreasedpenetrationofrenewableenergysources,therebyreducingcarbonemissions.

ThereisalsoagreaterfocusoninterconnectionprojectsfollowingEURegulation347/2013Guidelinesfortrans-EuropeanEnergyInfrastructure,finalisedin2013,whichidentifiesEuropeanProjectsofCommonInterest(PCIs).

TheseareprojectswhichhavesignificantbenefitsforatleasttwoMemberStates,includingcontributingtomarketintegration,enhancedsecurityofsupplyandtheintegrationofrenewableenergy.

WholesaleenergypricesontheislandofIrelandremainabovethoseinGreatBritainandcontinentalEurope.In2008weenvisagedatleastoneadditionalinterconnector,betweenthetransmissionnetworksofIrelandandGreatBritainorFrance,by2025.13Thispotentialinterconnectioncapacitywillprovideaccesstowiderelectricitymarkets.Theseinterconnectorassumptionsremainvalid.

Weareundertaking,withtheFrenchtransmissionsystemoperator(TSO),ReseaudeTransportd’Électricité(RTÉ),ajointprojecttoinvestigatethedevelopmentofaHighVoltageDirectCurrent(HVDC)interconnectorbetweenIrelandandFrance,knownasthe“CelticInterconnector”.

TheresultsofpreliminaryfeasibilitystudiesshowtherearebenefitsforelectricitycustomersinIrelandandFranceintermsofbothelectricitycostsandsecurityofsupply.

InMarch2014,thetwoTSOssignedanagreementtoproceedtothenextstageoftheproject.Thisincludedcarryingoutamarinesurvey.Thesurveyrouteisover500kmlongandextendsfromthesouthcoastofIrelandtonorthwestBrittany.

InJuly2016EirGridandRTÉagreedtoprogresstheprojecttothenextphaseofitsdevelopment,InitialDesignandPre-Consultation.Thislatestphasewilltaketwoyearsand13 In addition to the East West Interconnector (EWIC) which was completed in 2012.



comprisesanin-deptheconomicassessmentoftheproject;technicalstudiesandinitialtechnicaldesignspecifications;environmentalstudies;andpre-consultationinpreparationforpermitgrantingproceduesinFranceandIreland.ItwillalsoincludetheinvestigationoflandingpointsforasubseacableandconnectionpointstotheelectricitytransmissiongridsinFranceandIreland.TheInitialDesignandPre-Consultationphaseisacontinuationofpreviousstudies,anddoesnotrepresentacommitmenttoconstructtheinterconnector.

InadditiontherearecurrentlyotherthirdpartydevelopersconsideringinterconnectionprojectsbetweenIrelandandGreatBritain.


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generators,itisimportantthatsufficientreactivepowerreservesareavailablefromrenewablegeneratorsandthetransmissionsystemtoreplacethatpreviouslyprovidedbyconventionalthermalgenerators.Thisisparticularlyimportanttomaintaintransmissionsystemvoltagestabilityandcomplywithtransmissionplanningstandards.

Inaddition,weareworkingwithESBNetworks,theDistributionSystemOperator,toensurerenewablegenerationconnectedtothedistributionnetworkprovidesreactivepower.Thisreducesthepotentialforreactivepowertobedrainedfromthetransmissionsystemtothedistributionsystem.

ThisworkisextremelyimportanttooptimisecapitalexpenditureonreactivepowerdevicestomaintainvoltagestabilityontheIrishtransmissionsystem.Wearedevelopingastrategytoensuretransmissionsystemvoltagestabilityuptoandbeyond2025.

SystemInertia

Systeminertiamostlycomesfromthestoredrotatingenergyonthetransmissionsystem.Conventionalthermalgenerationnormallyconsistsoflargerotatingmasseswithhighinertia.Thisisincontrasttorenewablegeneration,whichpossesseslittleornoinertiaandisincreasinglyconnectedviapowerelectronicdevices.

Considerabletechnologicalchangeshavealsooccurredonthedemandside.Newindustrial,andlargecommercial,demandconnectionstendtobeconnectedusingpowerelectronicdevices,whichprovideflexiblecontrol.Demandcharacteristicshavealsochanged.Forexample,traditionalfilamentlightbulbsarebeingreplacedwithlowenergyalternativesandthereareincreasingamountsofpersonalelectronicdevicesinhouseholds.

Attimes,thesegenerationanddemandchangeshaveledtoalowerinertiasystemwithdifferentdemandcharacteristics.Thiscanleadtoanumberofchallengesfortheoperationofthesystemincludinglessdampeningofchangesinsystemfrequency,lesssuppressionofharmonicdistortionandshort-termvoltagefluctuations.Theriskoffrequencyinstabilityisrecognisedandaddressedbyourworld-leadinginitiative“DeliveringaSecure,SustainableElectricitySystem”(DS3programme)andoftenmitigatedbyoperationalmeasures.Youcanfindoutmoreaboutthisinitiativeonourwebsite.

HarmonicDistortion

Harmonicdistortiononthetransmissiongridcanresultinthedistortionofboththecurrentandvoltagewaveforms.Thiscanleadtopoorpowerqualityforconsumers.Harmonicdistortiontendstobeintroducedontothepowersystembymodernelectronicdevices,suchasmotorstarters,variablespeeddrives,computersandotherdevices.Thishasledustoinvestconsiderableresourcesincarryingoutdetailedharmonicmodellingandanalysisduringtheconnectionandplanningprocess.

Theharmonicdistortionissuehasbeenexacerbatedbygreaterthanexpecteduseofundergroundcablestoconnectgeneratorstothetransmissionsystem.Harmonicdistortionisoftenmagnifiedbytheintroductionofhighvoltagecableontotransmissionnetworksandthismustbecarefullymodelledandassessed.

Wehaveinvestigatednetworkdevicescapableofreducingharmonicdistortiontoacceptableinternationalstandardsandwillcontinuetomonitortheprogressofindividualgenerationprojectsastheyadvancetotheconnectionstage.



Technology–Availablenow

HighTemperatureLowSag(HTLS)overheadlineconductors

Thecapacityoftransmissioncircuitscanbeincreasedbyreplacingtheexistingconductorswithhighercapacityconductors.Thisgenerallyrequiresreinforcingthestructureswhichsupportthelines.

Thehighercapacityconductorscanoperateathighertemperatureswithlowersagcharacteristics;ensuringcriticalclearancesfromtreesetc.aremaintained.WeintroducedHTLStechnologytotheIrishtransmissionsystemin2011.ThesefirstgenerationHTLSconductorshavebeenusedsuccessfullybyEirGridandESBNetworks,achievinga60%increaseincapacityonapproximately600kmofexisting110and220kVoverheadlines.

Weareconstantlylookingatwaysoffurtherincreasingconductorcapacity.RecentlydevelopedsecondgenerationHTLSconductorsusingnewermaterials,forexamplecompositeratherthanmetalliccores,coulddoublelinecapacity.Thesearecurrentlyundergoingfieldtrials.Shouldtheyprovesuccessful,theymaybecomeavailableinadvanceof2025,althoughtheirapplicationislikelytoberestrictedtovoltagelevelsgreaterthan110kV(exceptinverylimitedcircumstances)wheretheincreasedsystemlossesarenotprohibitive.

ACundergroundcabletechnologyanditsuseWehaveusedundergroundcabletechnologyformanydecades,forexample:• inurbanareas;• ontheapproachintosubstationswherethereisamultiplicityofexistingoverhead

lines,and;• underdeepandwideexpansesofwater.

Thepowercarryingcapacityofundergroundcablescontinuestoincrease,whichcreatesgreateropportunitiesforconsideringcablesasalternativestooverheadlines.

The obvious advantage of underground cable circuits is the potential for reduced visualimpact compared to overhead line technologies. This must be balanced against thepotential impacts on sensitive environmental and ecological areas from what can besignificant civil engineering works. This is addressed in considerable detail in the reportcommissioned by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources(DCENR) on the Study on the Comparative Merits of Overhead Electricity TransmissionLinesVersusUndergroundCables.15

Inaddition,thecapitalcostofinstallingacableismorethanthecostoftheequivalentoverheadlineand,onaverage,cablesuffersfromahigherperiodofunavailabilityduetofaultsandmaintenancerequirements.

Wecommissionedareport in2009byTokyoElectricPowerCompany(TEPCO)whichhasconsiderableexperienceoftransmissioncablenetworks.16Thisstudy,togetherwithfurther15 http://www.eirgridnorthsouthinterconnector.ie/media/3B_5)Ecofys(2008)ComparativeMeritsofOHElectricityTransmissionLinesvsUGCables.pdf 16 http://www.eirgridnorthsouthinterconnector.ie/media/3B_39)Tokyo%20Electric%20Power%20Co%20TEPCO%202009%20Assessment%20of%20Tech%20Issues%20%20EHV%20UGCs.pdf



EirGrid technical analysis, has shown that long lengths of 400kV AC cables presentsignificanttechnologicalproblemsandoperationalrisks.ThisgreatlyrestrictstheiruseonindividualcircuitsandontheIrishnetworkasawhole.

Consequently,400kVACcablesmayonlybeusedsparingly,forexample,whenconsideringthepartialundergroundingofatransmissionproject.

Wehavecontinuedtoexaminetheperformanceofcablesandtheirtechnicalimpactonthenetwork.

Ourrecentanalysishasidentifiedthat,duetoitsrelativesizetoothernetworks,IrelandisatgreaterriskofissuesarisingfromtheuseofACundergroundcables.Wehaveconcludedthatanumberoftechniquesexistthatcouldreduce,butnotavoid,theseissues.

WewillcontinuetoassesstechnologicaldevelopmentsinthisareatoensurethefullcapabilityofthistechnologyisavailableforuseontheIrishgrid.

LinearHVDCandDCtransmission

ThetransmissiongridinIreland,similartootherEuropeanandinternationalgrids,useshighvoltagealternatingcurrent(HVAC).Wherepoweristobetransferredoverlongdistancesitmaybecosteffectiveandtechnicallypossibletodosousinghighvoltagedirectcurrent(HVDC).ThisrequirestheconversionofHVACtoHVDC,andviceversa,inlargeconvertersubstationsateachendofacircuit.

HVDCisamaturetechnologythatisavailableforintegrationontheIrishtransmissionsystem.Wehaveincludedthistechnologyinanumberofrecentprojectevaluationsandconsidersitsuse,whereappropriate.

In2009,wecommissionedaseparateinvestigationintotheuseofHVDCcircuitsintheIrishtransmission network.17 This workwas completed by TransGrid, a Canadian consultancyspecialising in HVDC. It concluded that HVDC is used mainly in specialist applications.These include, forexample, longtransmissioncircuitsorsubsea links. In thesecases theelectricalpropertiesofHVDCmakeitamoresuitable,oreventheonly,choiceandoffsetthe much greater cost of the conversion between Direct Current (DC) and AlternatingCurrent(AC).

WeselectedHVDCasthebesttechnologyfortheEastWestInterconnector(EWIC)currentlyoperatingbetweenIrelandandWalesfortheseveryreasons.TheconclusionsoftheTransGridstudyareconsistentwiththoseoftheInternationalExpertCommission(IEC)reviewinrespectoftheuseofHVDCintransmissionnetworks.18

FollowingonfromthisworkwehavecontinuedtoexaminetheperformanceofHVDCanditstechnicalimpactonthenetwork.

ThemostrecentreportcommissionedbyuswasanexternalinvestigationbyPowerSystemsConsultantsintotheuseofHVDCfortheGridWestProject,discussedinChapter5.

17 http://www.eirgridnorthsouthinterconnector.ie/media/3B_40)%20TransGrid%20Solutions%20Inc%202009%20Investigating%20Impact%20of%20HVDC%20Schemes.pdf 18 http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/media/Published-Report-on-Meath-Tyrone-Interconnector-14-June-2012.pdf



ThisreportidentifiedanumberofdifferentapplicationstoprovidesuitableHVDCcircuitstomeettheneedsoftheproject.ItconcludedthataHVDCsolutionwaspossibleandthataVoltageSourceConverter(VSC)ratherthanaLineCommutatedConverter(LCC)technologywasmoreappropriate.

Atpresentthematurityofmulti-terminalHVDCtechnologyissuchthatthisreviewhasonlyconsideredpointtopointlinks.

SeriesCompensationAstheuseoftheexistingnetworkismaximised,powertransfersandtheirassociatedlosseswillriseandbecomemorefrequent.OverheadlinesandpylonsinIrelandarephysicallydesignedandconstructedtoaccommodatethetypicalpowertransferthatwouldbeexpectedoverthelifeofthatline.However,ifduetochangesinthenetworkthepowertransferonthelinebecomesmuchhighertheelectricalperformancewillbeimpacted.

Consequentlyalthoughthelinesareinprincipleratedformuchhigherpowertransfers,inpractice,wherethesepowertransfersoccur,thesystemcannotsupplythenecessaryreactivepower.

Wehaveinvestigatedseriescompensationwhichisamaturetechnologythathasbeenextensivelyusedinternationallyinsimilarsituations.Seriescompensationchangestheelectricalperformanceofacircuitonwhichitisinstalled.Itcompensatestheneedforthesystemtoprovidereactivepower.TheiruseinIrelandwouldbeanewapplicationwiththerelatedchallengestoanetworkofitssizeandstrength.

Theneedandbenefitofthistechnologyvarieswitheachapplicationbutitcanprovidesignificantbenefitbyincreasingthepracticaltransfercapabilityofthesystem.Toincreasethetransfercapacityfurtheradditionalseriescompensationcanbeaddedtomeetfutureneeds.

DynamicLineRatingTheratingofanoverheadlineisinfluencedbymeteorologicalconditionssuchasambienttemperature,windspeedandwinddirectionetc.DynamicLineRatinginvolvestheinstallationofmonitoringdevicestoexaminemeteorologicalconditions.

Bycombiningthislocalinformationwithlinedesigndata,itispossibletoderivearatingthatvariesinrealtime.

Undercertainconditions,itmaythenbepossibletoincreasethelineratingandtotransferadditionalpowerontheline.Thistechnologycannowbeintegratedontothegridwhereconditionsaresuitable.

However,asthevariationinmeteorologicalconditionsisdifficulttopredictmanyyearsahead,theenhancedratingsarenotusedforlong-termsystemdevelopment.Instead,itisexpectedthatthetechnologywillbeusedinshorteroperationaltimeframestoreducepotentialnetworkconstraintswhileawaitingdeliveryofgriddevelopmentprojects.Wewillcontinuetomonitortechnologicaldevelopmentsinthisarea.

ReactivePowerManagementDevicesReactivepowermanagementtechnologieshavebeenincreasinglyusedinrecentyearstomakebetteruseofexistingassets.



However,aspreviouslydiscussed,newsourcesofreactivepowerprovisionandmanagementarerequiredtosupporttheincreaseduseofrenewableenergy.Thesesourcesmustnotonlyprovidethenecessaryscaleofreactivepowerbutmustalsobeabletoadjustthispowerprovisionadequatelytomaintainvoltageswithintheirlimits.

Manypartsofthenetworkareexpectedtosimultaneouslyhandlehigherpowertransfers.Highertransfersincreaselossesandvoltagedropalongcircuits.Thiscreatesnewchallengesinvoltageandoperationalmanagement.Duetotheintermittentnatureofpowerproductionandconsumption,rapidchangestothesepowertransferscanbeexpectedandthiswillincreasereal-timeoperationalmanagementissues.

Together,theseneedsrequireanewgenerationoffastactingflexiblereactivepowermanagementdevicesforuseinIreland.Themanneroftheirapplicationwill,insomeinstances,beuniqueinternationally.

Consequently,besidestheuseoffixedpermanentreactivepowercompensationtypicalinlong-termnetworkdevelopment,theneedfortemporarydevicestodeferlongertermreinforcement(mainlynewcircuits)isexpectedtoincrease.

Anewneedisalsoenvisagedforveryshort-termdevices(coveringaperiodofafewweekstomonths)toassistmaintenanceandconstructionactivities,asthescaleofnetworkdevelopmentincreasesandoutagesbecomemoredifficulttoschedule.

FixedReactivePowerManagementDevices

Wearecurrentlyconsideringtheintroductionofstatcomdevices,butwithnewtechnologicalcharacteristicsprovidinghighershort-termoperationalvoltageranges.Thesedeviceswillbenecessarytocoverthegreatervolatilityinsystemvoltagefromhighlevelsofrenewablesinweakerpartsofthenetwork.

DemandSideManagementandResponse

DemandSideManagementandResponsehasbeenusedinIrelandformanyyears,primarilyatthelargerindustriallevel.Itworkswhencustomersreducetheirelectricityconsumptiononrequest.Thishelpsustooperatethegridmoresecurely.

InthefutureitisexpectedthatresidentialcustomerswillalsotakepartinDemandSideManagementandResponse,throughinitiativessuchasPowerOffandSave,andtheRealValueProject.Thisisexpectedtohelpustomaximisetheuseoftheexistinggridandpotentiallydelayoravoidinvestmentinthegrid.Detailsonourinnovationprogramme,includingthePowerOffandSave,andtheRealValueprojectsareavailableonourwebsite.

Technology–ReadyforTrialUse

PowerLineGuardianandRouterWeareinvestigatingtheuseofmodularpowerflowcontroltechnologiesthatmayenableustomakebetteruseoftheexistingtransmissionnetwork.Twotypesofmodularpowerflowcontrollerareunderinvestigation,thePowerLineGuardianandtheRouter.ApilottrialiscurrentlyunderwayforthePowerLineGuardian.PowerLineGuardianscanberapidlydeployedontoexistingoverheadlineconductors.Individually,theyprovideasmallchangetothereactiveinductanceofaline.Byincreasingtheirnumberalongindividual



spansofheavilyloadedlines,itmaybepossibletodivertloadontolineswithsparecapacity.

Thesedevicescaneasilybefittedorremovedtochangethedegreeofpowerflowmanagement.Thisprovidesahighlevelofflexibility.Theycanalsobeindividuallycontrolled,allowingforarangeofresponseswhichwouldenhancebothvoltageandpowerflowcontrol.

Theyofferarapid,lowcost,replacementforbothfixedandtemporaryreactivecompensationorpowerflowcontrolforlong-termnetworkreinforcement.

Theirspeedofdeploymentalsomakesthemanoptiontoassistinreactivepowermanagementinfacilitatingnetworkoutagesfordevelopmentandmaintenance.

Ifthetrialissuccessfulitmaybeadoptedasamaturetechnology.

WestartedatrialoftheRoutertechnologyin2016.ThistechnologybuildsonthecapabilitiesofthePowerLineGuardian,addingfurtherflexibilitytomakebetteruseofexistingnetworkcapacity.TheRoutermayalsobeadoptedasamaturetechnologyifthetrialissuccessful.

Figure3-2:PowerLineGuardians

VoltageUprating

Voltageupratingoffersarapidincreaseofpowertransfercapacity,whilstsimultaneouslyreducingassociatedlossesbyusingtheexistingoverheadlineroute.

Thescaleoftheincreaseisapproximatelyproportionaltotheincreaseinvoltageandaconversionfrom220kVto400kVcanincreasecapacitybyover80%.



Thestandardapproachtoupgradinganexisting220kVlineto400kVinvolvesthecompletedismantlingofthe220kVlineandrebuildingitasa400kVline,generallyonthesamealignment.

In2008,thelengthyoutagesofkeytransmissioncircuitsandthenegativeimpactonsystemsecuritythatwouldberequiredforuprating,wasconsideredtomakethistechniqueimpracticalandunfeasible.

Sincethen,newdevelopmentsinelectricalcompositeinsulatorshaveintroducedthepossibilityofconvertingsomeexisting220kVpylonsto400kVpylons.Thisisachievedbyreplacingtheheadofthe220kVpylonwiththatofa400kVdesign.Itwouldincorporatespecialisedcompositeinsulators,butretaintheexistingfoundationsandbaseofthepylon.

Consequently,thiswouldpermitalowercostandfasterconversionofanexisting220kVcircuitto400kVwhileretainingtheexistinginfrastructure.

Voltageupratingmayallowhighercapacitiesonexistingroutesandprovideasolutionifthereisaneedtoincreaseacircuit’scapacity.However,ifthereisarequirementforanadditionalcircuittoallowforcircuitoutagesthisapproachwouldnotbeasolution.

Thistechnologyiscurrentlyinthedevelopmentphaseandhaspassedinitialmodellingtestsforthelatestgenerationofpylons.Itnowrequiresrigorousphysicalexaminationandtrialstorefineandtestperformance,beforeadoptingitasamaturetechnologyoption.

Figure3-3:Prototypevoltageupratetechnologyusingcompositeinsulators

(left,newexample400kVsinglecircuitdesign;right,newexample400kVdoublecircuitdesign)

NewOverheadLineStructures/NewPylonDesigns

Inmostcasesoverheadlinetechnologyremainsthemostreliableandleastexpensiveoptionfordevelopingnewcircuits.Weareactivelyconsideringnewpylondesignsand



othermitigationmeasuresinordertominimiseadverselandscapeandvisualimpacts,seeFigure3-4forsomeexamples.Thegoalistouselessvisuallyintrusiveoverheadlinepylons,particularlyinsensitiveareas.Thesemitigationmeasureswereoutlinedina2008GovernmentsponsoredreportissuedbyEcofysonTheComparativeMeritsofOverheadElectricityTransmissionLinesVersesUndergroundCables.

WewillalsotaketheNationalLandscapeStrategyintoaccount.

Figure3-4:Examplesofnewpylondesigns

Technology–Research&DevelopmentStage

ComplexDCNetworksHVDCisanestablishedtechnologyfortransmittingpowerfrompointtopoint.

However,largescalemesheduseofHVDCrequiressignificantadvancesintechnologytoenablemoreadvancedcontrolstrategiesandtheeffectiveisolationoffaultsbeforeitcanbecomecommonplaceinnetworkdevelopment.

Aspowerelectronicdevicesbecomemorecosteffectiveandmoredevicesutilisepowerelectronicstheneedtounderstandtheseinteractionsincreases.

Wewillcontinuetomonitordevelopmentsinthisarea,whichisattractingsignificantinternationalinterest.

NewVoltageUpratingStrategiesThetechnologiesavailabletouprateoverheadlinesandequipmentareconstantlydeveloping.

Wehaveinvestigatedandidentifiedtechnologicalsolutionswhichmayavoidtheneedforcompletereplacementoftheexistingstructuresforthehighervoltage220kVand400kVoverheadlines.Thesetechnologiesareprogressingtowardstrials.FurtherinformationisprovidedintheVoltageUpratingsectioninTechnologyReadyforTrialUse.

However,forthelowervoltage110kVlines,duetotheexistingnon-metallicsupportstructuresthesetechnologiesarenotlikelytoprovesuccessful.Wethereforearecontinuingtoinvestigateothertechniquesandmoreconceptualtechnologiesthatmayprovideamoreviablesolutionforthesecircuits.



OtherSmartGridConceptsArevolutionarydevelopmentininformation,communicationandtelecommunication(ICT)hasoccurredinrecentyears.Transmissionanddistributionequipmenthasbecomeprogressivelymoreintelligentandresponsive.

AsICTdevelopmentcontinues,andmoredatacanbecommunicatedonthestatusandneedsofthenetworkanditsusers,theinfluenceSmartGridswillhaveonbothmarketandnetworkoperationanddevelopmentwillincrease.

ThemovetoaSmartGridisdrivenbythechangingneedsofnetworkusers.TheSmartGridisthenetworkthatenablessuchchangestohappen.Fromauserperspective,thecontinuedintroductionofrenewablegeneration,andtheuncertaintyinthelocationandsizeoftheseindividualgenerators,willbemitigatedbyadvancesinSmartGridtosomedegree.IncreasingICTwillmakethecontrolofthesesmallergeneratorsmorepracticalandcosteffective.

Tomorrow’sEnergyScenariosThemajorityofgriddevelopmentprojectsaredrivenbychangesinhowthegridisused.Toplannewgriddevelopmentprojects,wefirsthavetounderstandwhatthefutureusageofthegridmaylooklike.

Todothis,wethinkaboutchangesinthewaypeopleandbusinessesuseelectricityandchangesinthewayinwhichelectricityisproduced.Weaskourselves:“Whatfactorswilldrivethesechangesandhowwillthesechangesplayoutovertime?”.

Forexample,weknowthatinresponsetoaglobalcommitmenttotackleclimatechange,theenergyindustryismovingtowardsalowcarbonenergyfuture.

Thiswillleadtochangesinthetype,sizeandlocationofpowerstationsconnectingtothegrid.

Itmayalsoleadtomorecommunity-basedpowerandheatingsystemsbeingbuiltwhichwouldmeangreaterefficiencyinhowelectricityisusedinthehomeandinbusiness.

Itisimportantthatwelookatallthefactorsthatinfluencechangesintheusageofthegridinthefuture.GovernmentandEUpolicyarekeyinfluencesbutsocialtrends,changesintechnology,changesintheeconomy,changesinagriculturalandindustrialdevelopmentallhavearoletoplay.

Overthepasttenyears,wehavelearnedthatthelevelofuncertaintyoverthefutureusageofthegridisincreasing.

Tocaterforthis,wearechanginghowweplanthegrid.Ournewapproachinvolvesdevelopingarangeoffuturescenarios.Wewilltestwhetherthegridoftodaycansupportthesefuturescenariosoriffurtherdevelopmentofthegridisrequired.

Thesefuturescenarioswillreinforceourgriddevelopmentplans.Itisvitalthatwegatherawiderrangeofstakeholderopinionsandviewsearlyoninthescenariodevelopmentprocess.

Therefore,whenwecreateourscenarios,wewillaskkeypolicymakersandindustryexpertshowtheyseethingschangingovertime.Wewillthenpublishourscenariosandinvitecommentsfromeveryone.



Thescenarioswillbereviewedeverytwoyearsinthiswayandanyothernewinformationavailabletousontrends,changesintheindustry,andotherrelevantfactorswillbeincluded.Thistwo-yearcycleof‘reviewandrenew’willbeongoing.

Wewillusethesescenariosthroughoutourplanninganalysistoassesstheneedsofthefutureelectricitysystem.Wewillalsousethemtotestthepracticalityandmeritsofnetworkreinforcementoptions,andproposesolutionsforanyproblemsweuncover.

Wealreadyuseaversionofthisapproachforindividualprojects.Weaskvarious‘whatif’questionswhenwearelookingforaspecificdevelopmentsolution.Thistestsrobustness,durabilityandtechnicalperformance.Thisensureswechoosethemostappropriatesolution.



Chapter4:StrategyforGridDevelopmentToensuretransmissionsystemreliabilityandsecurity,theperformanceofthenetworkiscomparedwiththerequirementsoftheTransmissionSystemSecurityandPlanningStandards(TSSPS)whichareavailableatwww.eirgridgroup.com.Ourlicensespecificallyrequiresustoensurethemaintenanceofthetransmissionsystemand,ifnecessary,todevelopit.

Thetransmissionsystemisrequiredtoremainstableandsecureforavarietyofcriticalcontingenciesincludingoutagesasaresultoffaultsormaintenance.Thenetworkisassessedforawidevarietyofnetworkconditions,suchas:diversedemandlevelsandgenerationdispatches,differentinterconnectionpowertransfers,generationclosures,networkstabilityandassetcondition.Projectsareregularlyreviewedaspartoftheon-goingprocessofprojectdevelopmentanddelivery.

Thedriversfornetworkinvestmentresultinaseriesofprojectstoreinforcethesystem.Theneedfortheseprojectscanresultfrominter-regionalpowerflow,localconstraintssuchasthermalandvoltageissues,connectionofdemandorgeneration,interconnection,andassetcondition.

Historicallytheprimarygridreinforcementneedsweretheneedtohandlerisingdemandforelectricityandtofacilitategenerationconnectionstothetransmissiongridortheaggregateeffectofmultipleconnectionstothedistributionsystem.

InthepastIrelandhasbeenparticularlysuccessfulinattractingmanyhigh-techindustriescentredaroundourlargercities.Asoureconomyreturnstogrowthitisessentialthattransmissiongridinvestmentcontinuestosupporteconomicgrowthandjobcreation,andtoencouragemorebalancedregionaldevelopment.

Aswellasthelargerurbanareasontheeasternseaboard,ourdevelopmentplanscoverallareasofthecountry.ThisgridinvestmentisessentialifbroaderregionaleconomicgrowthistobeenjoyedthroughoutIreland.

Ourstrategystatementsare:

Strategy1Inclusiveconsultationwithlocalcommunitiesandstakeholderswillbecentraltoourapproach.

Weacknowledgethesensitivitiesassociatedwithmajortransmissioninfrastructuredevelopment.Inresponsetomajorprojectconsultationfeedback,andtofollowthroughonourGrid25Initiativesannouncedin2014,weundertooktocarryoutathoroughinternalandexternalreviewofourconsultationprocess.InDecember2014wepublished“ReviewingandImprovingourConsultationProcess”.Thereviewcontained12commitmentsaimedatachievingamorecommunity-focusedapproachtogriddevelopment.Wearemakingsignificantprogressinmeetingthesecommitments.Oneofthe12commitmentswasareviewofourProjectDevelopmentandConsultationRoadmap.Asaresultofthatreview,wehavedevelopedanewprojectdevelopmentframework.Thisclearlyand



transparentlyoutlinesthestepswetakewhendevelopingthegrid,andhowcommunitiescanhavetheirsay.

OurnewframeworkreplacesthepreviousProjectDevelopmentandConsultationRoadmap.

Wearecommittedtoenhancingpublicparticipationandcommunityengagementaspartofthisprocess.

Strategy2Wewillconsiderallpracticaltechnologyoptions.

Oneofthethemesraisedinsubmissionsduringrecentconsultationswastheneedtoconductacomprehensiveundergroundanalysisforourlargelinearprojects.

Wehavealwaysconsideredundergroundtechnologyduringinitialprojectresearchandtechnicalanalysis.Wearecommitedtoengagingwiththepublicbeforeweidentifyapreferredtechnology.Thisconsultationwillexplainthetransmissiontechnologyoptions,andthenseekfeedbackfromstakeholders.

Thiswillassistusindeterminingthebesttransmissiontechnologyforfutureprojects.Wearecommittedtolookingforalternativeoptionsthatmayavoid,orreduce,thenecessityfornewoverheadlines.

Strategy3Wewilloptimisetheexistinggridtominimisetheneedfornewinfrastructure.

Wewillcontinuetomaximisetheuseoftheexistingtransmissionnetwork.Wherewecanincreasethecapacityofexistinginfrastructure,orusenewtechnologies,thismayremovetheneedtoconstructnewlines.Thisstrategylowerscostsandensuresthattherewillbepotentiallylessimpactontheenvironmentandonlocalcommunities.

ImpactoftechnologicalchoiceTransmissiondevelopmentprojectscanusearangeoftechnologiesthatdeliveravarietyofbenefitstothesystem.Astheassumptionsindemandandgenerationchange,thebenefitsmayincreaseordecreaseforeachinvestmentoptionunderconsideration.

Forexample,inanenvironmentofrapidlyincreasingdemandandassociatedgenerationdevelopment,theoptimumsolutionmaybeaclearcutneedforadditionalcircuitcapacitytoservethemediumtolong-termnetworkreinforcementneeds.

Ontheotherhand,ifdemandgrowthwasmoremoderate,thiscouldmeanfuturereinforcementneedsmaybebetterservedbyoptimisingtheexistingnetwork.

Thiscouldbeachievedbyupratingexistingcircuitsorinstallingequipmenttooptimisepowerflowsonthenetwork.

Thesereinforcementmeasuresmayprovidesufficientnetworkcapacitytonegatetheneedfortheconstructionofnewtransmissioncircuits.

GridDevelopmentStrategyOurgriddevelopmentstrategyhasbeendevelopedinlightofthestrategystatementsandtheupdateddriversandavailabletechnologiesdescribedinthisdocument.



Theoriginal2008estimatedcostofthedeliveryofGrid25was€4bn;thisestimatewasscaledbackin2011toanestimatedcostof€3.2bn.Thiswasmadepossiblebyfallingexpectationsoffuturedemandandthroughtheuseofnewtechnologies.

Formanyoftheprojects–suchaslineupratesandnewsubstations–theavailabletechnologiesfallwithinarelativelynarrowcostrange.

However,fornewtransmissioncircuits,thereareawiderangeofcostsamongthedifferenttechnologiesthatmaybeusedandthismakesitdifficulttoestimatecostsuntilfinaldecisionsaremade.

Theoverallestimatedcostforourgriddevelopmentstrategyhasbeenrevised,weexpectittofallwithintherangeof€2.6to€2.9billion.ThisalsoincludesthecostforthesouthernportionoftheNorthSouthInterconnector.ThiscostwasnotincludedintheoriginalGrid25.

Thepotentialreductioncanbeexplainedbyanumberoffactors,including:

• Thecostofcircuitupratesislowerthananticipatedin2008.AtthetimeofthelaunchofGrid25,itwasstandardpracticetoachievehigherratingsonoverheadlinesbyusingheavierconductors.Thisoftenrequiresacompletere-buildoftheline.AsoutlinedinChapter3,weadoptedtheHTLSconductorforupratinglineswhereverfeasible.Thisconductorprovidesanincreaseincapacityofabout60%,withoutexcessiveincreasesinconductorweight.Thisnegatestherequirementtochangethesupportstructures,thussignificantlyreducingthecostofuprates.

• Areductioninthescope,orinsomecasesadeferral,ofanumberofprojectsduetothelowerforecastdemanddescribedinChapter2.Thishashadasignificantimpact,particularlyevidentinnetworkssupplyingmajortownsandcities.

• Oneofthekeystrategiesforthefutureistooptimisetheuseofthetransmissionnetwork.Thiswouldminimisetherequirementfornewinfrastructure.Theextensiveuseofvariousupratingandcompensatingtechnologiestomaximisethecapacityofexistingcircuitsandsubstationshasprovensuccessfulinreducingtheneedforgriddevelopment.

Figure4-1belowcomparesthequantityoftransmissioncircuitsproposedintheoriginalGrid25Strategyin2008andwhatisnowproposedinthisupdatedgriddevelopmentstrategy.

Theimpactofthesuccessfulimplementationofnewtechnologiescanbeseenastheproportionofcircuitstobeupratedormodified,asopposedtobuildingnewlines,hasincreasedfrom66%to86%.Simultaneouslytheamountofnewinfrastructurehasdramaticallyreducedduetothegreateruseofnetworkoptimisation.Thisequatestoarounda73%reductioninthetotallengthofnewbuild.Thehighlevelofcircuitupratingwillbemaintained,considerablyreducingtheneedfornewinfrastructure.



Figure4-1Comparisonoflengthofuprateandnewbuildcircuits

1,150

2,300

310

2,000

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

NewBuild Uprate

km 2008

2017



Chapter5:RegionalDevelopmentandMajorProjectsWehavereviewedthemanyassumptionsanddriversformajorgridinvestment.Thereisasignificantdifferenceinthecapitalinvestmentrequirementsbetweentheoriginalgriddevelopmentstrategy,estimatedat€4billionin2008,andtheestimatedcostoftheupdatedstrategy,rangingbetween€2.6bnand€2.9bn.Itisnecessarytoprovideacostrangetoallowfortheincreasingvarietyoftechnologieswhichmaybeselectedforaproject.Toprovidegreatertransparencyandaclearerunderstandingoftheconsequencesofourstrategy,theplanisbrokenupintoeightindividualregions19.Figure5-1belowillustratesthebroaddistributionofthiscapitalinvestmentacrosstheeightregions.ThemapinFigure5-2showstheoutlineoftheeightregions.Eachregionismadeupofthefollowingcounties:

• Border:Donegal,Sligo,Leitrim,Cavan,MonaghanandLouth;• West:Mayo,GlawayandRoscommon;• Mid-West:Clare,LimerickandNorthTipperary;• South-West:CorkandKerry;• Midlands:Longford,Weathmeath,OffalyandLaois;• South-East:SouthTipperary,Waterford,Wexford,KilkennyandCarlow;• Mid-East:Wicklow,KildareandMeath;and• Dublin.

Mid-West11%

West18%

Border21%

Midlands4%

Mid-East14%

Dublin6%

South-East7%

South-West18%

€2.6 - €2.9billion

€0.2 billion

€0.2 billion

€0.4 billion

€0.5 billion

€0.4 - €0.6 billion

€0.5 - €0.6 billion

€0.1 billion

€0.3 billion

Figure5-1Regionalbreakdownofinvestment

19 We have updated the regions to align with those used by Government and Government bodies e.g. the IDA. Previously we used regions we developed ourselves.



WESTREGION

Midlands

West

South-West

South-East

Border

Mid-West

Dublin

Mid-East

Figure5-2MapShowingOutlineofRegions



Eachregionissummarisedindividuallybelow.Ineachregionalsummaryadetailedmapisprovidedshowingalltransmissioncircuitsandsubstations,theiroperatingvoltagesandgenerationsources.Majorgriddevelopmentsarehighlightedandcategorisedasnewassets,upratedormodifiedassets,orareasofcontinuinginvestigation.Eachregionalsummaryisaccompaniedbyaregionalsummarytable.Thistabledescribes:

• theforecastregionalgenerationanddemandbalance;• themainregionaldemandcentres,andtheforecastdemandandadditional

availablecapacityatthedemandcentres20;• thenumberofprojects;• circuitlengths;and• totalprojectedregionaldevelopmentcost21.

Themajornewregionaldevelopmentsarelistedandahigh-leveldescriptionoftheregionaldevelopmentplanisprovidedforeachregion.Wheretherearemajorprojectswithinthatregion,amoredetaileddescriptionofthesekeyprojectsisprovided.Figure5-3providesanationalsummary.

FordetailsonprojectsthathavealreadybeencompletedseetheTransmissionDevelopmentPlanwhichisavailableonourwebsite.

Whilecertainprojectsareidentifiedinthisstrategy,thesewillallbesubjecttoprojectlevelscreeningforEnvironmentalImpactAssessmentandAppropriateAssessment,inaccordancewiththegoverninglegislation.Inaddition,ourgriddevelopmentstrategy,includingthisTechnicalReport,willprovidethefoundationforournextImplementationPlanandStrategicEnvironmentalAssessment(SEA),thepreparationofwhichhascommenced,andwhichwillbepublishedin2017.

InourgriddevelopmentstrategywesetoutourviewonthemajorinvestmentprojectsnecessarytomeetIreland’sneeds.ThisstrategyrelatesonlytoIreland,butitconsiderstheall-islandenergymarket.Inparticular,itrespondstotheurgentneedtosecureelectricitysupplyinNorthernIreland.

20 Although capacity is shown at the demand centre, it is indicative of the available capacity for the surrounding general area. 21 For projects within the grid development strategy only, for example new assets that physically connect generation to the transmission network are excluded.


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BORDERREGION Summary Table

Main Regional Demand Centres23

Location Forecast Demand

(MW)

Additional Demand Capacity (MW)24

Drogheda25 75 100

Dundalk26 73 40

Letterkenny 60 40

Sligo 54 50

Summary of Development Projects27

Type of Projects No. of Projects Project kilometres Total Regional Cost

New build circuits 2 68 €0.5-€0.6 billion Uprate circuits 17 565

New substations 0 N/A Major Regional Projects

• SecondNorthSouthInterconnectorbetweenTurleenan,Co.Tyrone,andWoodland,Co.Meath,

substations

Other Notable Regional Projects

• NorthwestNeeds–reinforcementofthegridinthenorth-westisrequired.Thesolutions,

technologyandtimingofthisworkarecurrentlybeingreviewed

• ReconfigurationandrefurbishmentatLouth275/220/110kVsubstation

• UprateofArva–ShankillandArva-CarrickonShannon110kVcircuits

• UprateofCarrickonShannon–ArignaT–CorderryandCorderry–Srananagh110kVcircuits

• Reactivepowersupportrequiredtostrengthensystemvoltage

23 Source: All Island Transmission Forecast Statement 2015. 24 Available capacity in the network for increased demand. 25 Transmission substation is Drybridge. 26 Transmission substations are Dundalk and Mullagharlin. 27 Anticipated at the time of publication of this strategy - subject to ongoing review.

1,390MW

510MW

ForecastRegionalGeneration/DemandBalance

Generation Demand



Regional Description

TheBorderregionhassignificantrenewableenergyresources.Thereisanexcessofgenerationinthe

area.

Demandintheregion,includingthemainurbancentres,isexpectedtogrowupto2025andbeyond.

Theexistingtransmissionnetworkiscomposedofboth110kVand220kVcircuits.Theexistinglocal

transmissionnetworkfacilitateslimitedinterareapowerflowsbetweenNorthernIrelandandIreland

viatheexisting275kVTandragee–Louthinterconnector.

ThemajorprojectinthisregionistheproposedNorthSouthInterconnectorbetweenTurleenanand

Woodlandsubstations.

Wearealsoinvestigatingtheneedtoreinforcethegridinthenorth-west.

TheNorth-SouthInterconnectorAspartoftheoriginalGrid25Strategy,wecarriedoutanassessmentoftheregion.Thereporthighlightedtheneedforgridreinforcementandidentifiedcosts,benefitsandtheconsequencesofnon-action.OneofthekeyreinforcementsassumedwastheNorth–SouthInterconnector.

Inthere-examinationofassumptionscarriedoutinchapter2ofthisupdate,therequirementforincreasedpowertoflowbetweenIrelandandNorthernIrelandinfutureyearswasconfirmed.Thisismainlydrivenbychangestothefutureall-islandgenerationportfolio,plantretirementsandtherelativeoperationalcostsofgenerationplantsineachjurisdiction.

ThecapacityforpowerflowsbetweenIrelandandNorthernIrelandislimitedbytheexistinginfrastructure.Inparticular,thereisariskthatasingleeventcouldtaketheexistinginterconnectoroutofserviceleadingtoasystemseparationofIrelandandNorthernIreland,requiringeachsystemtoinstantlyadjusttoachieveanewdemand-supplybalance.TheNorthSouthInterconnectorwillremovethisriskofsystemseparationandsignificantlyincreasecross-bordertransmissioncapacity.

Thecombinedvalueofthesebenefitshasbeenassessedcollectivelytodeliverarangeofbenefitsoftheorderof€20mperannumin2020risingtobetween€40m-€60mperannumfrom2030,by:

• Improvingcompetitionandeconomicoperationofgeneratorsbyremovingconstraintsonpowerflowsacrosstheborder;

• Improvingsecurityofsupplybyallowinggreatersharingofgenerationacrosstheisland.DuetotheexistinglimitedtransmissioncapacityavailablebetweenNorthandSouth,generationsourcesinIrelandcannotbefullyutilisedtohelpalleviateanticipatedshortfallsinNorthernIrelanduntilthesecondNorth-SouthInterconnectorisconstructed;and

• Providingtherequiredflexibilityforrenewablegeneration.



TheNorthSouthInterconnectorwilladditionallyensurethelong-termsecurityofsupplyfortheNorthEastpartofthenetworkinIreland.

Becauseofthelengthandcapacityoftheinterconnectorcircuit,itisnotpossibletouseACundergroundcablesfortheentirelengthnor,wereitpossible,wouldthistechnologyprovideasefficientandreliableoption,comparedtotheproposedsolution.

Inaddition,whileundergroundcablesusingHVDCtechnologywouldbefeasible,theiruseonthisprojectwouldintroducehighercoststotheconsumer,wouldnotfacilitatefuturegridconnectionsandreinforcementsalongtheroute,anddoesnotcomplywithbestutilitypractice.

TheprojectwasdesignatedaProjectofCommonInterest(PCI)bytheEuropeanCommissioninOctober2013.ItwasreaffirmedasaPCIinthesecondPCIlist,whichwaspublishedinNovember2015.

ProjectsofCommonInterestareenergyinfrastructurepriorityprojectsdeemedbytheEuropeanCommissiontobeofstrategic,trans-boundaryimportance–inotherwords,thattheyareofvalueandimportancetomorethanonecountry.

ItisalsodesignatedasaneHighway2050ProjectbytheEuropeanUnion.Thisisaninitiativetosupportthedevelopmentof“electricityhighways”asstepstowardsthecreationofanall-Europetransmissionnetwork.

AnBordPleanála(ABP)isthedesignatedauthorityforPCIsinIreland.BetweenJune2014andApril2015,weengagedwiththePCIunitofABPinaPCIpre-applicationprocess.Whenthatwascomplete,weformallysubmittedtheplanningapplicationfiletoAnBordPleanálainJune2015.

InSeptember2015,AnBordPleanálaaskedustorespondtosubmissionsmadebythepublicinrespectoftheplanningapplication.WerespondedtothosepublicsubmissionsinOctober2015.

InMarch2016,theNorthSouthInterconnectororalhearingstartedinCarrickmacross,CountyMonaghan.Thisisaprocesswhichallowsfurtherdiscussionoftheplanningapplicationbeforeanindependentplanninginspector.Theoralhearingranforatotalof35daysandendedinMay2016.

InDecember2016AnBordPleanálagrantedplanningapprovalforthepartofproposedinterconnectorinIreland.

ThereisaseparateplanningprocessongoinginNorthernIrelandinrelationtothepartoftheproposedinterconnectorinNorthernIreland.Mostrecently,thePlanningAppealsCommissionheldapublicinquiryattheendofJune2016onlegalandproceduralissuesfortheplanningapplication.ThePlanningAppealsCommissionisduetoadvancetothemainphaseofapublichearinginearly2017.

TheNorthwest

Wecarriedout,inassociationwithSONI,anassessmentofthenorthwestregionandwesternNorthernIreland.ThisinvestigationresultedinasubmissiontotheEuropeanCommission(EC)requestingProjectofCommonInterest(PCI)statusforaprojecttitledtheRenewableIntegrationDevelopmentProject(RIDP).TheprojectwasdesignatedaProjectof



CommonInterest(PCI)bytheEuropeanCommissioninOctober2013.ItwasreaffirmedasaPCIinthesecondPCIlist,whichwaspublishedinNovember2015.

TheneedforreinforcementispredicatedonthelevelofrenewablegenerationinbothDonegalandwesternNorthernIreland.Thesolutions,technologyandtimingofthisworkarecurrentlybeingreviewed.Wewill,intime,consultwithrelevantstakeholdersontheneeds,andtherangeofsolutionsthataddresstheseneeds.


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!!! !



WESTREGION Summary Table



(MW)


Castlebar 26 10

Galway 71 60

Summary of Development Projects30 Type of Projects No. of Projects Project kilometres Total Regional Cost

New build circuits 2 125 €0.4-€0.6 billion Uprate circuits 8 236


• TheGridWestProject:NewcircuitfromtheBellacorickareatoFlagfordtransmissionsubstation

• SeriesCompensationontheexisting400kVoverheadlineatOldstreet400kVsubstation(partof

theRegionalSolution,seetheSouth-Eastregionsummaryformoreinformation)


• ReinforcementofthetransmissionnetworkinthevicinityofMayoandSligocomprisingtheNorth

Connacht110kVproject.Thereinforcementpotentiallyincludestheupratingofsome110kV

circuitsinthearea,forexampleCastlebar–Dalton–CashlaandCastlebar–Cloon110kVcircuits31

• UpratingofCashla–Salthill110kVcircuit

• UpratingofFlagford–Lanesboro110kVcircuit

• UpratingofBellacorick–CastlebarandBellacorickMoy110kVcircuits


28 Source: All Island Transmission Forecast Statement 2015. 29 Available capacity in the network for increased demand. 30 Anticipated at the time of publication of this strategy - subject to ongoing review. 31 Based on current information and commitments we have identified a need for either Grid West or a North Connacht Reinforcement, however not both.

1,650MW

430MW


Generation Demand




TheWestregionisparticularlyrichinrenewableenergyresources.Thesegenerationsourcesare

dispersedacrosstheregion,butparticularlyconcentratedalongthewesterncoastline.Thereisalsoa

largeconventionalthermalgeneratorlocatedatTynaghsubstation.Themaindemandcentresare

composedofamixofresidential,commercialandindustrialdemand,whichisexpectedtogrowupto

2025andbeyond.

Theexistingtransmissionnetworkispredominantlylowercapacity110kVwithverylittlehigher

capacity220kVand400kVtransmissioninfrastructure.Developingthegridwillenablethe

transmissionsystemtosafelyaccommodatemorediversepowerflowsfromsurplusregional

generationandalsotofacilitatefuturegrowthinelectricitydemand.

Thesedevelopmentswillstrengthenthenetworkforallelectricityusers,andindoingsowillimprove

thesecurityandqualityofsupply.Thisisparticularlyimportantiftheregionistoattracthigh

technologyindustriesthatdependonareliable,highquality,electricitysupply.

TheGridWestProjectTheamountofrenewablegenerationseekingtoconnectinthenorthwestofMayoissignificantlyinexcessofthelocaldemandandthereforeneedstobetransferredoutofthearea.Theexistinglocal110kVnetwork,evenifitisuprated,isnotcapableofcarryingtheselevelsofpowerflow.

Therefore,anothertransmissioncircuitisrequired.Wearecarefullyconsideringalternatives.

WeconductedacomprehensiveanalysisontheundergroundandoverheadoptionsfortheGridWestProject.WepresentedananalysisofthreeoptionstotheGovernment-appointedIndependentExpertPanel(IEP).Thisdetailedanalysisconsideredeconomic,technicalandenvironmentfactors.

TheIEPpublisheditsopinionthatthereportwascompleteandtheoptionswerecomparable.Subsequently,wepublishedthereportinJuly2015.

Thereport,basedonthisdetailedanalysis,considersthreeoptions:aHVDCundergroundoption,a400kVoverheadlineoption,anda220kVoverheadoptionwhichmayincorporatesubstantialamountsofundergroundACcable.

HVDCUndergroundCableOption

Thisoptioncanbesummarisedasasingle,fullyunderground,HVDCcable,approximately113kminlength.ThecableconnectsanewHVDCconverterstationclosetotheexistingFlagford220kVsubstationtoanewHVDCconverterstationnearMoygownaghto‘collect’thepowerproducedbythewindenergyinthelocalarea.Inadditionapproximately2kmof220kVACundergroundcableisrequiredtoconnectthenewconverterstationtotheexistingFlagford220kVsubstation.



Theestimatedpresentvaluecostforthisoptionis€475m32.

400kVOverheadLineOption

Thisoptioncanbesummarisedasasingle400kVACfullyoverheadline,103kminlength.ThelineconnectsfromtheexistingFlagford220kVsubstationtoanewsubstationnearMoygownaghto‘collect’thepowerproducedbythewindenergyinthelocalarea.Inadditionapproximately8kmof220kVACundergroundcablewouldbeinstalledintothefirstsectionoftheexistingFlagford–Srananagh220kVline.

Theestimatedpresentvaluecostforthisoptionis€220m33.

220kVOverheadLineandPartialUndergroundCableOption

Thisoptioncanbesummarisedasasingle220kVACoverheadline,upto105kminlength.Thisoptionallowsupto20kmofthisoverheadlinetobeundergrounded,withtheremainderconstructedasoverheadline.ThecircuitconnectsfromtheexistingFlagford220kVsubstationtoanewsubstationnearMoygownaghto‘collect’thepowerproducedbythewindenergyinthelocalarea.Inadditionapproximately8kmand2kmof220kVACundergroundcablewouldbeinstalledintothefirstsectionoftheexistingFlagford–Srananagh220kVlineandtheapproachtoanewsubstationnearMoygownaghrespectively.Theestimatedpresentvaluecostforthisoptionis€205-250m34(dependentontotalcablelength).

IstheGridWestprojectstillneeded?

Thereisasufficientlevelofcommittedgenerationintheareatodriveanewcircuit,butthismaynotbetheGridWestproject.

Dependingonthefinalvolumeofgeneration,thesolutionmaybeamorelocalreinforcement.WhentheneedforGridWestisfullyconfirmed,wewillconsultontheinformationcontainedintheIEPreport.Wewilldothisbeforeselectingapreferredtechnologytype.

32 Source: Grid West Report to the IEP. The cost is rounded here. 33 Source: Grid West Report to the IEP. The cost is rounded here. 34 Source: Grid West Report to the IEP. The cost is rounded here.


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!!! !



MIDWESTREGION Summary Table



(MW)


Ennis 57 110

Limerick 77 100



New build circuits 3 9 €0.3 billion Uprate circuits 7 176


• Moneypoint–NorthKerryProject:New220kVcablefromMoneypointtoKnockanurevia

Kilpaddoge

• NewKilpaddoge-Moneypoint220kVcable

• NewMoneypoint400/220/110kVsubstation

• Seriescompensationontheexisting400kVoverheadlineatMoneypoint400kVsubstation

(partoftheRegionalSolution,seetheSouth-Eastregionsummaryformoreinformation)

• Anew400kVsub-seacable,acrosstheShannonestuaryfromMoneypointtoKilpaddoge(part

oftheRegionalSolution,seetheSouth-Eastregionsummaryformoreinformation)

35 Source: All Island Transmission Forecast Statement 2015. 36 Available capacity in the network for increased demand. 37 Anticipated at the time of publication of this strategy - subject to ongoing review.

1,880MW

480MW


Generation Demand




• UpratingofEnnis–Booltiagh–TullabrackT-Moneypoint110kVcircuit

• UpratingofCauteen-Killonan110kVcircuit

• RedevelopmentofKillonan220/110kVsubstation



TheMid-Westregionisparticularlyrichinrenewableenergyresourcesincludingwindenergyand

hydrogenerationontheShannon.Thereisalsoalargeconventionalthermalgeneratorlocatedat

Moneypointsubstation.Themainurbandemandcentresarecomposedofamixofresidential,

commercialandindustrialdemand,whichisexpectedtogrowupto2025andbeyond.Theexisting

transmissionnetworkiscomposedof110kV,220kVand400kVinfrastructure.

Theregionhasconsiderablymoregenerationthandemand,andtheexistinginfrastructurealso

facilitateshighinter-regionalpowerflowsfromthesouthwest.TheproposedMoneypoint–North

Kerryinvestmentswillenablebetteruseoftheexisting400kVcircuitsfromMoneypointtoDublin,

circuitswhichoriginallyweredesignedtofacilitatetheconnectionoflargeconventionalgenerationat

Moneypoint.

These400kVcircuitswillthereforebecomeamoreintegralpartofthebackbonetransmission

networkandwillbecomemoresoduetoourdecisiontoimplementthe‘RegionalSolution’forGrid

Linkwhichinvolvesgreateruseoftheexisting400kVcircuits.

Thesenewprojectswillenablethetransmissionsystemtosafelyaccommodatemorediversepower

flowsfromsurplusregionalgenerationandalsotofacilitategrowthinelectricitydemandacrossthe

region.

Thesedevelopmentswillstrengthenthenetworkforallelectricityusers,andindoingsowillimprove

thesecurityandqualityofsupply.Thisisparticularlyimportantiftheregionistocontinuetoattract

hightechnologyindustriesthatdependonareliable,highquality,electricitysupply.

TheMoneypoint–NorthKerryProject

TheneedfornetworkreinforcementarisesduetothelargeamountsofwindgenerationconnectingtotransmissionanddistributionnetworksinCo.Kerry,Co.CorkandwestCo.Limerick.Thisgivesrisetoariskofoverloadsontheexistingtransmissionsystem.



Theprojectwasinitiallyconceivedasa400kV,partoverheadandpartunderwater,circuitconnectingMoneypointgenerationstationinCo.Clareandanew220kVsubstationinNorthKerry.

Subsequently,highercapacityundergroundcabletechnologybecameavailable.Thisledtoare-evaluationofthepotentialoptions.Forthisparticularprojecta220kVcablesolutionistechnicallyfeasibleasthecircuitisofarelativelyshortlengthandtherequiredcapacitycanbemetwithextrahighthermalcapacitycables.

Afteracostbenefitanalysisonthisproject,itisnowa220kVundergroundcablesolutionusinganewtypeofhigh-capacitycableforthefulllengthofthecircuit.Inothercircumstanceswherethecircuitdistancesarelonger,thistechnologymaynotbeappropriate.

Moneypoint400/220/110kVSubstationThisprojectcombinesthereplacementof400kVequipmentintheexistingMoneypointsubstationwiththeneedtoalleviatealocalconstraintonthe110kVnetworkfollowingtheconnectionofrenewablegeneration.

Thelocalconstraintwillbealleviatedbyinstallinganew220/110kVtransformerwhichwillprovideanew110kVsupplyintotheexisting110kVnetwork.


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SOUTHWESTREGION Summary Table



(MW)


Cork (Trabeg) 77 90

Tralee 44 100





• New220/110kVsubstationsatKnockanure,Ballyvouskill,BallynahullaandKilpaddoge


• UpratingofClashavoon–KnockanureandKilpaddoge–Knockanure220kVcircuits

• NewClashavoon–Dunmanway110kVcircuit

• NewClashavoon–Macroom110kVcircuit

• UpratingofRaffeen–Trabeg110kVcircuit


• ReconfigurationandextensionofKnockraha220kVsubstation

• ReconfigurationandrefurbishmentofAghada220kVsubstation


3,260MW

710MW


Generation Demand




ThedevelopmentofthetransmissionsystemintheSouth-Westischaracterisedbytheconnectionof

highlevelsofrenewableenergyinCo.CorkandCo.Kerry.Thisresultsintransmissionnetwork

constraintsaspoweristransferredoutoftheregiontowardsMoneypointandKnockraha

transmissionsubstations.

TheregionalsohasconsiderableamountsofconventionalthermalgenerationatTarbertsubstation,

andaroundCorkwithplantsatMarina,AghadaandWhitegate.Thereisalsohydrogenerationonthe

RiverLee.Thecombinedeffectisthatthisregionhasaconsiderablesurplusofgeneration.In

addition,EirGridandtheFrenchtransmissionsystemoperator,RTÉ,areundertakingajointprojectto

investigatethedevelopmentofa700MWHVDCinterconnectorbetweenIrelandandFrancethat

wouldpotentiallyconnectalongthesouthcoast.

Theexistingregionaltransmissionnetworkiscomprisedof220kVand110kVinfrastructure.

Theprojectsdescribedabovearerequiredtosafelyandsecurelyintegratelargequantitiesof

renewableenergyontotheIrishtransmissionnetwork.Thisisachievedbyupgradingexisting

transmissioncircuitsandsubstationequipment,andbuildingnewsubstationsandcircuitswhere

necessary.

ThemainloadcentreintheregionisCork,whichhasattractedanumberofpharmaceutical

companiesaswellasotherhightechnologyindustries.Thesegriddevelopmentprojectswillenable

thenetworktosafelyandsecurelyaccommodatemorediversepowerflowsfromlocalandremote

generationandalsofacilitatefuturegrowthinelectricitydemandacrossthisregion.

NewKnockanure,BallynahullaandBallyvouskill220/110kVSubstationProjects

Knockanure,BallynahullaandBallyvouskill220kVsubstationsarecollectingpointsforwindgenerationintheirlocalities.

Eachofthese220kVsubstationswillcollectlocalrenewablegenerationvia110kVtransmissioncircuits.

The‘collector’transmissionnetworkwillbeoperatedseparatelytotherestofthe110kVexistingtransmissionnetworkintheareawhichmainlysuppliesdemandcentres.Thisensuresthatthisexistingnetworkisnotoverloaded.

NewKilpaddoge220/110kVSubstationProjectThedriverforthisprojectissecurityofsupply.Theneedforreinforcementarisesduetolocalconstraintsonthetransmissionnetwork,i.e.thephysicalcapacityofTarbert220/110kVsubstationisclosetobeingreached.



ThenewKilpaddogesubstationisnecessarytoallowfortheessentialexpansionoftransmissionconnectionsinnorthKerryandwillreplacesomeofthefunctionalityoftheexistingTarbert220kVsubstation.


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! !



MIDLANDS REGION Summary Table



(MW)


Athlone 59 20

Mullingar 48 50

Portlaoise 37 80

Tullamore43 32 30





• NewLaoisKilkennyReinforcementProject:New400/110kVsubstationinLaois,withpartnew

anduprated110kVsubstation/circuittocreatenew110kVcircuitfromLaoistoKilkennyvia

Ballyragget


• NewCushaling-Thornsberry110kVcircuit

• NewKinnegad-Mullingar110kVcircuit

41 Source: All Island Transmission Forecast Statement 2015. 42 Available capacity in the network for increased demand. 43 Transmission substation is Thornsberry. 44 Anticipated at the time of publication of this strategy - subject to ongoing review.

910MW

300MW


Generation Demand




TheMidlandsregionaltransmissionnetworkisrequiredtotransportpoweroverconsiderabledistances

toawidelydispersedrangeofdemandcentres.

Theregionhasdispersedgeneration,mainlycomposedofpeat-burningpowerstationsatLanesboro,

ShannonbridgeandCushalingstations,andrenewableenergy.

TheexistingMidlandstransmissionnetworkiscomprisedof400kV,220kVand110kVinfrastructure.

Theregionaldemandcentresandgenerationsourcesaremainlyservedbythewidelydispersed110kV

meshednetwork,withthehighcapacity400kVand220kVcircuitsmainlytransferringpowerthrough

theregion.

TheLaois-KilkennyReinforcementProjectisamajorreinforcementtoconnectintoanexisting400kV

circuitandcreateanew400/110kVsubstationandnew110kVcircuitcapacity.Thiswillstrengthen

thenetworkinlargepartsoftheMidlandsandprovideadditionalcapacityforpotentialdemand

growthinthewiderregion,andinparticularinKildare,LaoisandKilkenny.

Weareconstructingtwonew110kVcircuitsintheregion,namelyCushaling(Edenderry)–Thornsberry

(Tullamore)andKinnegad–Mullingar.

Theseprojectswillstrengthentheregion’stransmissionnetworkbyimprovingsecurityandqualityof

supplyandensuringthereisthepotentialfordemandgrowthinanumberofgatewaytownsincluding

MullingarandTullamore.

Laois-KilkennyReinforcementProjectThenew400kVsubstationinLaoiswillprovideanewhighvoltagesupplypointinLaoisthatwillsupportthevoltageandalleviateloadingonconstrainedsubstationsandcircuitswithinthearea.Diversionsoftheexisting400kVcircuitandalocal110kVcircuitintothestationarealsorequired.

TosupporttheKilkennyarea,acircuitintotheexisting110kVKilkennystationisalsopartoftheproject.

ThisisachievedbybuildingacircuitfromtheLaois400kVsubstationtotheexistingBallyragget38kVstation,combinedwiththeconversionfrom38kVto110kVofboththeBallyragget38kVstationandthelinesupplyingitfromKilkenny110kVsubstation.


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! !



SOUTHEASTREGION Summary Table



(MW)


Cahir 23 50

Carlow 51 70

Kilkenny 57 30

Waterford 45 110

Wexford 51 30





• TheRegionalSolution(formerlytheGridLinkProject):Increasetransfercapacityfromthesouth

andsouthwesttotheDublinregion.TheGridLinkprojecthasbeenreplacedbytheRegional

Solution.


• UprateofGreatIsland–WexfordandGreatIsland–Kilkenny110kVcircuits(partoftheRegional

Solution)

• RedevelopmentofGreatIsland220/110kVsubstation

• UpratingofCauteen–Tipperary110kVcircuit


1,290MW

560MW


Generation Demand




TheSouth-Eastregionhasrenewableenergyresources,andconventionalgenerationlocatedatGreat

Islandsubstation.Asaresult,theregionhasasurplusofgeneration.TheSouth-Eastalsocontainsa

numberofpossiblelandinglocationsforinterconnectors.

Themainurbandemandcentresarecomposedofamixofresidential,commercialandindustrial

demand,whichisexpectedtogrowupto2025andbeyond.Theexistingtransmissionnetworkis

composedof110kVand220kVinfrastructure.Theregionhasconsiderablymoregenerationthan

demandandtheexistinginfrastructurealsofacilitateshighinter-regionalpowerflowsfromthe

southwest.Inaddition,EirGridandtheFrenchtransmissionsystemoperator,RTÉ,areundertakinga

jointprojecttoinvestigatethedevelopmentofa700MWHVDCinterconnectorbetweenIrelandand

Francethatwouldpotentiallyconnectalongthesouthcoast.

Werecentlyinvestigatedanumberofoptionstoincreasenetworkcapacitybetweenthesouthwest

andsoutheasttothelargerdemandcentreslocatedontheeasternseaboard.Theresultisthe

RegionalSolutionwhichreplacestheprojectformerlyknownasGridLink.Thiswillenablethe

transmissionsysteminthisregiontosafelyaccommodatemorediversepowerflowsfromlocal

generation,inter-regionalpowerflowsandalsotofacilitatefuturegrowthindemandacrossthe

region.

TheRegionalSolution(formerlytheGridLinkProject)AspartoftheoriginalGrid25Strategypublishedin2008,wecarriedoutanassessmentofthesoutheastandsouthwest.ThereportidentifiedtheneedtostrengthenthegridintheseregionsandparticularlybetweenCorkandDublin.Newlargeconventionalgeneratorshaverecentlyconnectedalongthesouthcoast.SubstantialamountsofrenewablegenerationhaveconnectedandarecontractedtoconnectinKerryandCork.

Asaresult,themainflowofelectricityinthesouthernhalfoftheIrishnetworkisfromthesouthandsouthwesttowardsthehighestconcentrationofdemandintheeastandnorth.

GeneratorsclosetolargeloadcentressuchasDublinorBelfastmaynotalwaysbeavailable,noreconomicaltorun,andhencemaynotoperateattimes,furtherincreasingthelevelsofpowerflowstowardstheeast.

Theexistingnetworkcannotmanagesuchlargepowerflows.Theseflowscouldcausesignificantproblems,especiallyfollowingasystemfault.Theseproblemsincludeverylowvoltagesthroughoutthesystemandinsomecircumstances,thepotentialforwidespreadvoltagecollapse(localblackouts).

Largechangesinsystemvoltagecanalsopreventautomaticreclosingoflines.Thishasaseriousimpactoncircuitavailabilityandsystemreliability,hencereducingsecurityofsupply.Furthermore,thelargetransferofpowerfromthesouthwesttothenorthandeastofthecountryexceedsthecapabilitiesofsomecircuits.



WeconductedacomprehensivereviewoftheneedandsolutionoptionsfortheGridLinkProject.WepresentedananalysisofthreeoptionstotheGovernment-appointedIndependentExpertPanel(IEP).Thisdetailedanalysisconsideredeconomic,technicalandenvironmentfactors.TheGridLinkreportfortheIEPisavailableatwww.eirgridgroup.com.Thereviewtookintoaccountchangingdemandforecasts,aslowerrateofgrowth,upgradeworksonexistinglinesandadvancesintechnology.

AspartofthisanalysiswereplacedtheGridLinkprojectwithwhatwecallthe‘RegionalSolution’.TheRegionalSolutionismadeupofanumberofindependentprojects.Theseare:

• SeriesCompensationontheexisting400kVoverheadlinesthatcrossthecountryfromMoneypointinCountyClaretoDunstowninCountyKildareandWoodlandinCountyMeath.Theseriescompensationdevicesareplannedfor:

o Moneypoint;o OldstreetinCountyGalway;ando Dunstown400kVstations.

• Anew400kVsub-seacableacrosstheShannonestuary.ThiswillrunfromMoneypointonthenorthernbankoftheestuarytoKilpaddoge,anewstationonthesouthernbankoftheestuary.

• UprateofGreatIsland–WexfordandGreatIsland–Kilkenny110kVcircuits.• Uprateofthebusbar(conductors)atWexford110kVstation.

TheseprojectsarerequiredtomeettheupdatedneedsidentifiedinthereviewsoftheGridLinkproject.


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!!! !



MIDEASTREGION Summary Table



(MW)


Arklow 23 60

Naas50 38 30

The generation figure in the forecast generation/demand balance includes the

East West Interconnector (EWIC) as a 500 MW generation source. EWIC can be either a generation or demand source.





• SeriesCompensationontheexisting400kVoverheadlineatDunstown400kVstation(partof

theRegionalSolution,seetheSouth-Eastregionsummaryformoreinformation)

• ReinforcementoftheGreaterDublinAreabetweenDunstownandWoodland400kVsubstations

• New220kVsubstationnearClonee,Co.Meath


• UpratingofMaynooth–RyebrookandCorduff–Ryebrook110kVcircuits

• New400/220kVtransformersatDunstownandWoodland400kVsubstations

• ReconfigurationandmajorrefurbishmentofMaynooth220/110kVsubstation

48 Source: All Island Transmission Forecast Statement 2015. 49 Available capacity in the network for increased demand. 50 Transmission substation is Kilteel. 51 Anticipated at the time of publication of this strategy - subject to ongoing review.

840MW

570MW


Generation Demand




TheMid-EastregionispartoftheGreaterDublinAreaandisamajorloadcentreontheIrish

transmissionsystem.Themainurbandemandcentresarecomposedofamixofresidential,

commercialandindustrialdemand,whichisexpectedtogrowupto2025andbeyond.

The500MWEastWestInterconnectorisconnectedtothetransmissionsystematWoodlandviathe

400kVsubstationatPortanandapumpstoragefacilityislocatedatTurloughHillinWicklow.The

existingregionaltransmissionnetworkiscomprisedof400kV,220kVand110kVinfrastructure.

Thetransmissionnetworkhastomeetanumberofdiversepowerflowsthatcanvarydependingon

thegenerationdispatch,networkdemand,interconnectorflowsandnetworktopology.Thenetwork

canbesubjecttohighinter-regionalpowertransfersfrombothnorthtosouthandsouthtonorth.

WearecurrentlyinvestigatinggriddevelopmentoptionsforconnectingtheWoodlandandDunstown

400kVsubstations,toincreasethecapacityoftheoftencongestedandhighlyloadedDublin

transmissionnetwork.Thiswillenablethetransmissionsystemtosafelyaccommodatemorediverse

powerflowsandalsofacilitatefutureloadgrowthinthearea.

Tofacilitateincreasedandnewdemandexisting110kVcircuitsneedtobeupratedandanew220kV

substationisrequirednearClonee,Co.Meath.

Theseprojectswillstrengthenthenetworkforallelectricityusers,andindoingsowillimprovethe

securityandqualityofsupply.

ThisisparticularlyimportantiftheregionistocontinuetodevelopasanICThubandattracthigh


ReinforcementoftheGreaterDublinAreabetweenDunstownandWoodland400kVSubstationsAspartofthegriddevelopmentstrategy,wecarriedoutanassessmentoftheGreaterDublinArea.ThereportidentifiedtheneedforastrengtheningofthegridinthisareabetweenWoodland,Co.Meath,andDunstown,Co.Kildare,400kVsubstations.

Theassumptionsconcerningtheconnectionofrenewablegenerationdescribedinchapter2ofthisreporthaveasignificantimpactontransmissionsystempowerflowsintothisregion.

Simultaneously,interestfromanumberoflarge-scaleindustrialcustomersintheareaisalmostcertainlygoingtodrivetheneedforfurtherreinforcementinandaroundDublinandthiswillrequirestrengtheningofthelinksbetweenthesesubstations.

Theprojectmayrequirea400kVlink,whichmaybedevelopedbyre-usingexistingassetsconvertedto400kV,thusmaximisingtheexistingassetsinlinewiththenewstrategicstatements.

Wearecurrentlyrefiningtheneedandassessingtherangeofavailabletechnologiesinpreparationforconsultationwithlocalcommunitiesandstakeholders.



New220kVSubstationnearClonee,Co.MeathThenewsubstationisbeingbuilttofacilitatetheconnectionofanewdemandcustomer.Itwillbeconnectedtotheexisting220kVnetworkinthearea.


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!!! !



DUBLINREGION Summary Table

Main Regional Demand Centres

Location Forecast Demand (MW)52


Carrickmines 397 90

Finglas 480 90

Inchicore 360 90





• NewBelcamp220/110kVsubstationinNorthDublinandcircuitstoconnecttotheexisting220

kVnetwork

• New220/110kVsubstationinWestDublinandcircuitstoconnecttotheexisting220kVnetwork


• ReconfigurationandmajorrefurbishmentofInchicore,FinglasandCarrickmines220kV

substations


52 Source: All Island Transmission Forecast Statement 2015. 53 Available capacity in the network for increased demand. Source: All Island Transmission Forecast Statement 2014. These figures will vary due to the level of large industrial demand customers that are connected, contracted and interested in connecting in the Dublin area. 54 Anticipated at the time of publication of this strategy - subject to ongoing review.

1,830MW 1,990MW


Generation Demand




TheDublinregionisthemajorloadcentreontheIrishtransmissionsystem.Approximatelyonethird

oftotaldemandislocatedhere.Therearealsoconsiderablequantitiesofconventionalgeneration

connectedtothetransmissionnetworkincloseproximitytothegasnetworkandDublinportarea.

TheexistingtransmissionnetworkintheDublinregioniscomprisedof220kVand110kV

infrastructure.Theseareprimarilyfedfromtheexisting400kVsubstationsatthewesternedgeofthe

Dublinarea–WoodlandinCo.Meath,andDunstowninCo.Kildare.

Thetransmissionnetworkhastomeetanumberofdiversepowerflowsthatcanvarydependingon

thegenerationdispatch,networkdemand,interconnectorflowsandnetworktopology.Aswellas

meetingthehighdensitydemandintheareaandlocalgenerationexports,thenetworkcanbesubject

tohighinter-regionalpowertransfersfrombothnorthtosouthandsouthtonorth.

WearecurrentlyinvestigatinggriddevelopmentoptionsforconnectingtheWoodlandandDunstown

400kVsubstations,toincreasethecapacityoftheoftencongestedandhighlyloadedDublin

transmissionnetwork.ThisandotherprojectswhichsupportthenetworkintheGreaterDublinArea

arealsodetailedintheMid-Eastregion.

Underhighrenewablegenerationscenarios,wherepowerisgeneratedinremotelocationsand

transferredacrossthetransmissionsystemoverlongdistancestoDublin,therewillbelittlelocal

generationthat,hasinthepast,supportedandmaintainedthevoltagelevelintheDublinarea.We

areinvestigatinganumberofdevelopmentoptionstoresolvethisissue.

TomeetDublindemandgrowthitisnecessarytoinstalladditionaltransformercapacityandincrease

circuitcapacitytothenorth,southandwestofthecity,andintothecityitself.

Theseprojectswillstrengthenthenetworkforallelectricityusers,andindoingsowillimprovethe

securityandqualityofsupply.

ThisisparticularlyimportantiftheregionistocontinuetodevelopasanICThubandattracthigh


NewBelcamp220/110kVSubstationProjectThenewBelcampsubstationwillprovideanewhighvoltagesupplypointinnorthDublinthatwillsupplyexistingandnewload,therebyalleviatingtheloadingonconstrainedsubstationsandcircuitswithinthearea.

Consequently,thissubstationwillenhancethesecurityofsupplyforexistingcustomersandfacilitatetheconnectionofnewcustomers.

Belcampwillbeconnectedtotheexisting220kVnetworkwithnew220kVcablestoFinglasandShellybanks220kVsubstations.



Theexistinglocal110kVcircuitswillalsobedivertedintothisnewsubstationtosupplythelocalarea.

NewWestDublin220/110kVSubstationProjectThenewWestDublinsubstationwillprovideanewhighvoltagesupplypointthatwillsupplyexistingandnewload,therebyalleviatingtheloadingonconstrainedsubstationsandcircuitswithinthearea.

Consequently,thissubstationwillenhancethesecurityofsupplyofexistingcustomersandfacilitatetheconnectionofnewcustomers.

TheprojectincorporatesthediversionoftheexistingInchicore–MaynoothcircuitsintothenewWestDublin220/110kVsubstationintheareaofGrangeCastlebusiness-park.

New110kVcircuitswillbeinstalledtoconnecttheexisting110kVnetworkandnewlarge-scaledemandcustomersintothisnewsubstation.





The Oval, 160 Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin D04 FW28 • Telephone: 01 677 1700 • www.eirgrid.com


Ireland’s Grid Development Strategy...on Ireland’s Grid Development Strategy. That review responded to feedback received from the public over recent years. It was part of our renewed

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