- Strategic upgrade at the Pallas 38 kV Station in Portlaoise by ESB Networks is enhancing electricity network capacity for housing and economic growth in the Midlands.
- Upgrade at Pallas 38 kV Station will provide enough additional installed transformer capacity to support approximately 2,500 homes, including facilitating the electrification of heating and transport.
ESB Networks is due to complete a significant capacity upgrade at the Pallas 38 kV Station in Portlaoise, Co Laois, strengthening the electricity network to support growing demand across the region.
The Pallas 38 kV station is being uprated from two 5 MVA transformers to two 10 MVA transformers, doubling the capacity available to serve homes, businesses, and local industry in the wider Portlaoise area.
Once commissioned, the final upgrade will deliver a total of 10 MVA additional installed transformer capacity, strengthening the network in Laois and supporting future residential, commercial, and industrial demand.
To put this in context, the upgrade will provide enough additional installed transformer capacity to support approximately 2,500 houses, including facilitating the electrification of heating and transport.
James Finn, Capacity Deployment Manager, ESB Networks, said:
"This upgrade at the Pallas 38 kV Station is an important step in accelerating additional capacity for Portlaoise and the wider region, helping to support new homes, business growth and the continued development of local communities.
"By increasing the capacity of the existing network, through targeted strategic interventions, ESB Networks is enabling customers to connect sooner, while also preparing the system to support increasing electrification, including heat pumps and electric vehicles as Ireland progresses with its climate ambitions."
These works form part of ESB Networks’ wider programme of investments under Price Review 6 (PR6), to strengthen and build out the electricity network across the country, ensuring it can meet increasing demand while supporting Ireland’s housing and climate ambitions.
This work is in addition to a recent upgrade in Portlaoise which involved the uprating of two 31.5 MVA transformers to 63 MVA at the Portlaoise 110 kV Station, doubling capacity there and enabling new customer homes, businesses, and farms to connect to the electricity network.
ESB Networks also energised a new 110 kV station at Bracklone, near Portarlington, Co Laois, earlier this summer - the first of 30 new 110 kV substations planned under PR6 - which will benefit approximately 13,000 customers across the wider Co Laois and Midlands region.
Work is also continuing on the Laois-Kilkenny Grid Reinforcement Project, which includes the construction of a new substation at Coolnabacky, near Ratheniska, Co Laois, in order to boost electricity capacity in the Midlands and South East. The Laois-Kilkenny Grid Reinforcement Project is one of 29 priority transmission projects brought forward by EirGrid and being delivered by ESB Networks under PR6.
Watch a video outlining this project here: https://youtu.be/xnbRPRK0v3g?si=QkApSqwRWvC1tat0