EirGrid has begun a public consultation on the next phase of a significant electricity network reinforcement for Kildare and South‑West Dublin.

The Kildare Dublin Grid Reinforcement Project will upgrade energy infrastructure in a fast-growing part of the country. With the existing system nearing capacity, the works are intended to maintain a reliable supply for homes, farms, schools and businesses.

Local communities and stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on the proposals. The consultation runs for eight weeks until Friday, 3 July and focuses on the technology options for a circuit connecting a proposed substation at Steelstown to the existing substation at Carrickmines. This link would allow power to be taken from the transmission system and distributed across Kildare and West Dublin.

Submissions can be made online or by post, and a series of in-person information events will enable people to speak with EirGrid representatives and learn more about the plans. All feedback, alongside ongoing stakeholder engagement and EirGrid's technical studies, will inform the approach as the project progresses.

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The project envisages a new 400/220/110kV substation near the South Dublin/East Kildare border at Steelstown and a new 220/110kV substation near Hynestown, plus associated circuits linking the new sites to existing substations in Maynooth, Inchicore and Carrickmines.

Chief Infrastructure Officer with EirGrid, Siobhán O'Shea, said: "Not only will this project be key to enhancing the grid in Kildare and West Dublin, providing capacity to support increasing electricity demands to enable local economic growth and housing, it will also help the country reach its renewable energy targets."

"I encourage you to give your feedback on our initial plans and contribute to creating a more secure electricity supply to our homes, communities and businesses."

Head of Public Engagement with EirGrid, Sinéad Dooley, said: "At EirGrid, we recognise that collaborating with communities and gathering local knowledge is key to this infrastructure being developed, reinforcing the electricity grid for generations to come.

"I would encourage members of the public and local stakeholders to have their say and attend one of our information events to learn more about this project and the benefits it will bring to the region."

Dooley continued: "We also look forward to sharing details of the associated Community Benefit Fund later in the process, recognising the role of communities in hosting important grid infrastructure upgrades."

In May 2025, EirGrid consulted on preferred zones for the two new substations near Hynestown and Steelstown. Feedback from that process is being considered as final sites are determined.

EirGrid has also recently concluded that the best-performing technology for the circuit linking the two new substations, and the existing substation at Maynooth, is an underground cable.

For more information and to have your say, visit www.eirgrid.ie/kildaredublin.