EirGrid has unveiled a plan to the double capacity of the State’s electricity transmission network by 2025 as part of a €4 billion investment.
It plans to pay for the scheme by introducing a “transmission tariff” on domestic and commercial customers of 0.2 per cent until 2025. For a household with a €100 electricity bill, this would equate to an increase of 20 cents.
Eirgrid, the agency which manages the ESB-owned national grid, plans to redevelop the transmission network so it can handle both power generated from conventional and renewable sources.
The move is a response to an expected 60 per cent growth in demand over the next decade, and that to meet this demand the network had to develop so it can accept wind power and other renewables.
The plan will require the replacement or upgrading of over 2,300kms of power lines and the building of a further 1,150kms. These will be laid overland.
Dermot Byrne EirGrid chief executive said: "Our role is to ensure that electricity infrastructure does not become a barrier to the social and economic development of any region or county. Grid25 is our strategic response to this challenge."
He said once "when fully connected to the UK and European grid, Ireland can also secure its supply and become a net exporter of electricity from renewable sources".
A spokeswoman for Eirgrid said the next step was to begin consultation on the project.