GRID CAPACITY
Consents are largely in place for construction of the North South Interconnector to get underway, with work expected to start later this year and complete in 2028. Also known as the Tyrone to Cavan Interconnector, the project will add a new 400kV overhead line to connect the electricity grids of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Addressing the NI Assembly Committee for the Economy, System Operator for NI Chief Executive Alan Campbell said around half of an estimated 150 NI landowners in the project path have consented to infrastructure being built on their land. Intervention may be required from the Department for the Economy to grant wayleaves, a form of access to land, for landowners refusing to grant access. Starting at a substation in Turleenan, Co Tyrone, a 138km stretch of pylons will run into counties Armagh, Monaghan, Cavan and Meath. Planning authorities in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have approved the project, with validation also granted by courts in both jurisdictions. EirGrid develops, manages and operates the electricity grid in the Republic of Ireland. Aimed at improving the security of the electricity supply across the island of Ireland, construction of a second interconnector between the two regions is also expected to improve the efficiency of the electricity system, reduce costs for consumers and increase capacity for renewable energy on the grid. The multi-million-pound investment will create significant local construction jobs, as well as facilitating the growth of jobs within the renewables sector. Creating capacity to connect 900MW of renewable generation, enough to power 600,000 homes, the interconnector will help both regions meet their renewable and net zero targets. Construction of North South Interconnector on track to start in 2024
“The International Energy Agency forecasts a doubling of the sector’s consumption to almost a third of total usage in Ireland by 2026.”
With its high concentration of Big Tech in a low-population country, however, Ireland’s grid is disproportionately impacted by data centres. By comparison, data centre demand is also expected to rapidly accelerate in GB, but the National Grid only expects it to comprise 6% of total electricity usage by 2030. Both sector representatives and EirGrid have cautioned that Ireland could lose its tech hub status and face an exodus of firms without greater facilitation of renewable energy solutions and connection agreements. Google Ireland said it will struggle to service its customers here without the new data centre, which would have created 800 construction and 50 long-term jobs. While Amazon secured planning permission to build three new data centres in north Dublin in September 2023, the US tech giant claims it is now matching the entire electricity consumption of its global operations including data centres with renewable energy. A recent Cornwall Insight report stressed the need to accelerate long-duration energy storage solutions if Ireland is to meet its 2030 target, and an Electricity Storage Policy Framework for
Ireland was published by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications in July. GridBeyond announced in June it will provide battery energy storage systems to two data centres in City West and Ballycoon owned by Singapore-listed Keppel DC REIT. The batteries will be connected to its AI-powered energy technology platform, GridBeyond Point, and add 8MW of flexible capacity to the grid ahead of peak demand in the winter. Battery energy-storage systems and solar panels have been incorporated in a planning application for six two- storey data centres in Jigginstown, Halverstown and Newhall, Naas, lodged by Herbata Ltd with Kildare County Council. Herbata is also seeking planning approval for a 110 kV gas insulated switchgear sub-station and the undergrounding of an existing 110 KV transmission line, aiming to create a next-generation data centre campus which will not depend on the national grid for power. Without incorporating renewable energy into their strategy, plans for new data centres are unlikely to get the go ahead, creating huge opportunities in electrification.
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