Having marked its 25th anniversary, EirGrid recently launched its Strategy 2026, which outlines how the organisation will deliver a secure, clean and affordable electricity system while managing rising demand and Ireland’s transition to renewables.
“For the past 25 years, EirGrid has been ensuring the safe and secure supply of electricity to homes, businesses and communities across the country,” says EirGrid head of network projects Ireland Jason Kenna. “During that time, we have built a transmission system that has supported national and regional economic growth and a resilient society, while our national control centre has kept the lights on, balancing supply and demand every minute of the day.”
The focus is firmly on the future, he adds. “That’s all about renewables. The grid has undergone a major transformation to enable the integration of renewables, and we are now about to allow up to 75 per cent of electricity to be generated from variable renewable sources such as wind and solar at any one time and brought on to the grid. We now have a programme of work to increase that to 95 per cent. That’s pioneering stuff; not many electricity systems in the world can reach that level.”
That progress supports the Government’s target for 80 per cent of the State’s electricity to come from renewable sources.
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It’s been a very good year for renewables generation, Kenna notes. “April saw a new record for solar power, as the country reached a peak of over 1 gigawatt (GW) of electricity provided by grid-scale solar power for the first time. In May, another new peak for grid-scale solar was achieved, with 1.22GW of electricity provided by solar. To put that in context, it is estimated that 1GW is enough to power around 500,000 homes. Wind has grown greatly over the past 25 years and a new record for wind generation was set in February, reaching 3.89GW.”
Although EirGrid is not responsible for generating electricity or building wind farms, the organisation is responsible for connecting electricity generation infrastructure, such as offshore and onshore wind farms, into the grid.
EirGrid is now also involved in developing Ireland’s offshore wind resources and has a new role owning and being responsible for offshore transmission assets. Powering Up Offshore – South Coast is the organisation’s programme to build the new transmission grid infrastructure necessary to bring power generated by offshore wind farms into the grid.
The East-West Interconnector (EWIC) has played a critical role in the transformation since coming online in 2012, Kenna notes. “It links the electricity grids of the island of Ireland and Britain via submarine cables running between converter stations in Ireland and Wales. It is capable of providing capacity of 500 megawatts (MW), flowing in both directions.”
More recently, large battery storage units have been playing a bigger role on Ireland’s electricity system. Up until November 2025, grid-scale batteries mainly supported stability on the power system, but these units are now fully integrated into the real-time electricity market, helping to manage supply and demand more efficiently. “Battery storage will be key to integrating renewable power in future,” says Kenna.
Another key piece of infrastructure is the Celtic Interconnector which will connect the Irish and French electricity grids. “Significant progress has been made on the project,” he says. “Five hundred people are working in Irish and French waters to deliver it. Burial and protection of the previously laid 84km submarine cable was completed in Irish waters this summer, with the route reopened for fishing. In French waters, burial and protection of the installed 97km cable section has continued through the summer. All onshore cables for the project in Ireland have been successfully installed on the 44km route.”
Construction of the converter stations in both countries is substantially complete, with cable terminations also complete, and all equipment installed.
Another significant piece of infrastructure currently being developed is a new 110kV transmission grid reinforcement project in the Laois-Kilkenny region, with construction on many aspects of the project ongoing or complete. In addition, construction has recently begun of the North Connacht 110kV Project, which will add a new underground cable to the electricity system in counties Mayo and Roscommon
An ambitious programme of projects and investments will be undertaken as part of PR6, or Price Review 6, the funding provided to EirGrid by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU). These projects include customer connections, transmission reinforcements, and asset upgrades to deliver on social and economic growth, security of supply and further penetration of renewable energy on the system.
“As part of PR6, we will develop and deliver 381 transmission infrastructure projects across the country in partnership with ESB Networks,” says Kenna. “This programme includes 29 priority projects which will provide most benefit to the grid in terms of security of supply, unlocking additional electricity capacity to meet future demand, and facilitating renewables integration.”
EirGrid’s Strategy 2026 is designed to meet the challenges facing Ireland’s energy system in terms of decarbonisation as well as increasing demand from a growing economy and population, he explains.
The strategy is based on four pillars: Keeping Ireland powered – ensuring a safe, secure and resilient electricity system every minute of every day; building the backbone – delivering grid infrastructure at pace and at scale; transforming for clean energy – enabling much higher levels of renewable electricity, clean technologies and a more flexible power system; and unlocking new frontiers – advancing offshore wind and interconnection to strengthen Ireland’s long-term energy independence.
“The strategy is designed not only to deliver an energy system capable of meeting the needs of today and the next wo years, but also to put in place the foundations to build on for generations to come,” says Kenna.
Investment in people will be key, he adds. “We are going to double staff numbers from 1,000 to 2,000 by 2030. We will need the right people on board to help us deliver on our mission. We will also work closely with all stakeholders to deliver at the scale and pace required to ensure the grid is able to meet future needs.”
The overall investment in the distribution and transmission networks is €18.9 billion, with a further €2 billion devoted to offshore wind, he says. “We have a lot of projects to develop and a very good delivery framework for them. A key part of that is working with communities, engaging with the public, seeking feedback and acting on it. Public engagement is at the heart of what we do. It helps shape our decision making and how projects are developed.”
