SONI have extended the submission date for responses to their draft Transmission Development Plan 2023-2032 consultation until Friday 12 January 2024. At a hugely busy time of year, with lots of pressures, they want to provide additional time for their stakeholders to submit a response if they wish.

Submissions can be made via their consultation portal here.

The Transmission Development Plan outlines an ambitious infrastructure investment package for the strategic development of the electricity transmission network. The proposed upgrades, all of which will undergo rigorous cost-benefit analysis to ensure value for money for consumers, seek to ensure that Northern Ireland’s electricity grid is more resilient, capable of facilitating future increases in demand and can accommodate more renewable energy. Crucially, the Plan outlines a number of key projects which are vital for meeting the 80% renewable energy target by 2030 set by the Climate Change (Northern Ireland) Act 2022.

More specifically, the Plan includes proposals which:

  • Modernise parts of the grid in Greater Belfast, so its people and businesses have the power they need to grow;
  • Upgrade the transmission system in County Antrim, to increase the amount of clean energy we can transport from where it is generated to where it is needed;
  • Strengthen the grid in the North West and Mid Tyrone areas to support economic development and to facilitate decarbonisation of Northern Ireland’s electricity supply; and,
  • Bolster interconnection with GB and ROI by increasing the capacity of the Moyle Interconnector and constructing a new North South Interconnector.