History of Electrical Grid

8/2/2019 History of Electrical Grid

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The history of the National Electrical Gridin Ireland

ByLisa Coombes

&Martin OShea

We hereby certify that the material, which is submitted in this assignment/project, is

entirely are own work and has not been submitted for any academic assessment

other than as part fulfilment of the assessment procedures for the programme

Ordinary Degree in Sustainable Electrical & Control Technology(BN035). Any

sources cited have been duly acknowledged in the text.


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The history of the National Electrical Grid in Ireland

Irelands first public electricity supply system was established in Dublin in the 1880s

by the Dublin Electric Light Company (siemens, 2011).

In 1882 the electrical system was taken over by the Dublin Gas Utility Alliance Gas

Company. The Dublin Gas Utility Alliance Gas Company lost the contract to supply

electricity because it was unpopular at the time that one company could supply both

gas and electricity in Ireland and Britain (siemens, 2011).

The decision was made in 1888 that the Dublin Corporation would take over the

supplying of electricity to Dublin. Dublins first electrical power station was built inFleet Street and began operation in Dublin in 1892. Other cities around Ireland

began to follow Dublin in getting an electricity supply (Counci, 2011).

Since there was a bigger demand for electricity in Dublin the power station at the

Pigeon House in Poolbeg was constructed in 1903 and the power station was coal

fuelled (ESB, 2012).

Figure 1 Pigeon House Poolbeg Power Station

Between the years of 1916 to 1921 the Irish war of independence was fought and in

1922 the 26 counties became a Free State. The government at the time was left

with an electrical supply system that was fragmented and not up to standards

(siemens, 2011).


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A plan was put in place by the government in 1922 to build a modern electrical

supply system. This was not only to bring Ireland up to date with the rest of Europe

but it was also to show the world that the Free State could stand on its own two feet.

The plan was very ambitious and still is the biggest civil engineering project in the

history of the state (Heritage, 2012).

The plan was to build a national electrical grid that would be powered by

hydroelectric power station built on the river Shannon.

This wasnt the first time that a plan to build a hydroelectric power station was first

thought up. In 1844 a report was put together by Sir Robert Kane who was a Dublin

chemist but his proposals never took off. Then again in 1901 another proposal was

put in place called the Frazers Scheme and it was inspired by a hydroelectric power

station built at Niagra Falls in America but the scheme fell through because the

project would cost to must money to put in place and the project was dropped in the

end.

The Free State employed Dr. Thomas Aloysius McLaughlin who studied at UCD and

then went to Germany to work for Siemens-Schukertwerke. Dr. Thomas Aloysius

McLaughlin made up new plans to build a hydroelectric power station on theShannon at Ardnacrusha county Clare which would produce 30MVA of electricity

and would be used to supply electricity to the whole country. The price of the

hydroelectric power station would cost over five million pounds and for the Free

State government this was a huge investment as it would take up one fifth of that

years budget that the government had to spend on the whole country (Heritage,

2012).

The Free State gave the contract to Siemens-Schukertwerke to build the

hydroelectric power station on the Shannon and also give them the contract to bring

electricity to the whole country. Even through the Free State fought against Britain

for independence it still had a huge Economic links with Britain. At the time there

was some fear from the opposition in the government that giving the contract to a

German company would weaken an Economic link with Britain because in Britain

there was a very anti Germany campaign as World War 1 was not long finished and

there was still resentment against Germany for starting the war. The Free Stategovernment felt that Siemens-Schukertwerke was the best company for the job and


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it would also show the world that they not only got independence from Britain but

now they would have economic independence as well. The project was a huge loss

for Siemens-Schukertwerke who lost 24.2 million marks but it was a huge

technological achievement for Siemens-Schukertwerke and world electrical scene

took notice of the company again as the First World War made German companies

unpopular with other western countries (siemens, 2011).

Figure 2 Work on the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric power station poster

In 1927 the Electricity Supply Board Act was passed by the government at the time.

The Electricity Supply Board Act was need because there were more than 300

companies generating and supplying electricity to different parts of the country. The

government wanted one body to take responsible of Irelands electrical grid. The

Electricity Supply Board role was to be both engineering and administrative in


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maintaining and monitoring the electrical grid (ESB, 2012). One of the directors

appointed to the board of the Electrical Supply Board was Dr. Thomas Aloysius

McLaughlin who was the designer of the Ardnacrusha hydro electrical power station

(ireland, 2011).

Figure 3 Dr. Thomas Aloysius Mclaughlin

At the time it was taught that the hydroelectric power station on the Shannon would

be large in enough to power the whole country but the demands for electricity was

growing and it was realised that the hydroelectric power station would be big enough

to supply the whole country. So the Electrical Supply Board put in plans to build

three other hydroelectric power stations at Poulaphouca in Wicklow which had two

15MW generators and at Golden Falls and Leixlip in Kildare which had a 4MW

generator each which added a total of 38MW of electricity to the electrical grid

(Heritage, 2012).

Up until the 1940s it was manly just cities that had electricity. The government and

the Electricity Supply Board came up with an ambitious plan and this was to bring

electricity to rural areas in Ireland. At the time a lot of rural people felt that they didnt

need electricity and there was a lot of objections against bring electricity to the rural

areas. The Electricity Supply Board went to the church, Farming and womens

organisations and local businesses to promote electricity to the rural communitys.

The Electricity Supply Board won the rural people over by town by town as the rural


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people from the next town seen the benefits of electricity and how it made their lives

easier (Antaisce, 2011).

The country was split into 792 areas and the areas that were given electricity first

were the areas that would make back the cost of building the grid to the area fastest.

By 1965 almost 300,000 rural houses where connected to network at a cost of 36

million pound. With the economic developments of the 1960s more rural homes

wanted electricity and by the late 70s the Electrical Supply Board reached its goal by

bring electricity to 98% of rural homes and the final cost of the project cost around 90

million pound. (Delany, 2010)

Figure 4 Putting up distribution lines in rural Ireland


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As the years went on the demand for electricity in Ireland grow and there was a need

for more Power Stations to be built to keep up with the demand of electricity. The

Electrical Supply Board has now built twelve power stations around the country and

they use coal, gas, turf and hydroelectric power to power the turbines in the power

stations. These stations are (ESB, 2012):

North Wall power station in Dublin which uses natural gas and generates

262MW of electricity and was commissioned in 1947.

Erne station in Donegal which is a hydroelectric station and generates 65MW

of electricity and was commissioned in 1951.

Marina power station in Cork city which uses natural gas and distillate and

generates 96MW of electricity and was commissioned in 1954.

Lee Station in Cork which is a hydroelectric station and generates 27MW of

electricity and was commissioned in 1957.

Clady Station in Donegal which is a hydroelectric station and generates 4MW


Turlough Hill power station in Wicklow which is a hydro pump station and

generates 292MW of electricity and was commissioned in 1974.

Aghada in Cork which uses natural gas and distillate and generates 435MW


Moneypoint power station in Clare which uses coal and generates 915MW of

electricity and was commissioned in 1985.

Lough Ree power station which uses milled peat and generates 100MW ofelectricity abd was commissioned in 2004

West Offaly power station in Offaly which uses milled peat and generates

150MW of electricity and was commissioned in 2004.

Not only was the Electrical Supply Board building power stations they were also

building a network of sub- stations and pylons across the country for transmission

and distribution for the electrical grid. The electrical grid in 2012 is a modern


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electrical system and in figure 5 and figure 6 it shows the difference between the

transmission system of the 1930s and the 2000s.

Figure 5 the transmission system in Ireland in 1930

Figure 6 the transmission system in Ireland in 2009


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In the year 2000 the European Union brought in a new law called European

Communities (Internal Market in Electricity) Regulations which was brought into

promote competition in the electrical market which was to bring down the prices of

electricity and allow other companies to do business in Ireland and not let the

Electrical Supply Board by the only electrical supply company in Ireland.

In the year 2000 a government company called Eirgrid was set up to take over the

running of all the power stations, transmission and the market services for the

electrical grid. The Electrical Supply Board role is now to maintain the electrical

network on behalf of Eirgird. To make sure that the national electrical grid is kept to

the highest standards, Eirgird has draw up plans to make sure that the national

electrical grid is kept up to date for the fast evolving modern Ireland. Two of these

plans are Grid 25 and the North / South Interconnection Project.

Grid25:

Eirgrids plan to develop and upgrade the electricity transmission network between

now and 2025 is called Grid25.

This major idea will help put in place a safe, affordable electricity supply throughout

Ireland. It will take several years to bring this plan to light and investments are

looking at a figure of 4 billion.

It will involve extensive work around the whole country including upgrading about

2,300km of existing lines as well as building 1,150km of new power lines. The total of

these lines both new and old will double the size of todays electricity grid.

Grid25 is a critical move for Irelands future on the grounds of both economic and

environmental issues and will also help with Irelands energy needs over the next

generations.

In order for Grid25 to become successful the communities will need to be well

informed on how beneficial it will be to the country to have transmission

infrastructure for their future as well as their everyday lives and they will need to

show their support for this infrastructure in their community.

Grid25 is also critical in Irelands economic recovery because without a 21st centurygrid Ireland cannot compete for investment at the European global stage.


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Grid25 will also enable Ireland to obtain a secure security of electricity supply. This is

mainly because Irelands electricity at present is generated from imported fuels.

Grid25 will reduce this dependency and put in place the infrastructure from its own

natural resources.

These natural resources produced at home will enable Ireland to create less carbon

and be able to reach 40% of its targets by 2020. Its essential for all industry to have

secure and reliable electricity to carry out the business effectively from day to day.

To be sure Ireland can compete in attracting new industries to parts of the country,

which will lead to job creation then its vital to have a strong electricity grid in place

(eirgrid, www.eirgridprojects.com, 2011).

An Bord Pleanala - Planning Board.

Eirgrid plc is part of a re-evaluation of its previous application to An bord Pleanala for

approval of the Meath to Tyrone 400Kv Interconnection Development on the strength

that portion of the overall North / South Interconnection Project occuring within the

Republic of Ireland.

Eirgrid is satisfied that the development of an additional high capacity electricuty

interconnection between the electricity networks and the Republic of Ireland and

Northern Ireland is required in order to comply the current national energy policy

and European Head Directives.

Eirgrid has also re-examined the case for the reinforcement of the transmission

system of the North East area of the Republic of Ireland and has concluded that

such reinforcement will be required sometime between 2015 and 2020. The finding

is based on consideration of the latest data including electricity growth projections for

the North East area that take account of the continuing economic downturn (eirgrid,

www.eirgridprojects.com, 2011).


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Conclusion

In the past hundred years the National Electrical Grid changed Ireland from being a

manly poor agricultural country were every thing was done by hand to a modern

country were the worlds high technology companies have based them selfs. If it

wasnt for that Ireland has a world class electrical grid that these companies wouldnt

have even considered Ireland as a place to do business.

The National Electrical Grid was not always about producing and distribution of

electricity it was also used politically. The Irish Free State used the national electrical

grid to show the world that Ireland didnt need to relie on Britain and that the Free

State could build its own infrastructures. Even in the 2000s when the European

Union ruled that Ireland need more competition electrical market a lot of people felt

that the European Union was interfering into Irish affairs.

Even if the national electrical grid was built for either development or political

reasons, one thing can be certain, is that the national electrical grid modernised

Ireland.


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Table of Figures

Figure 1 Pigeon House Poolbeg Power Station ......................................................... 3

Figure 2 Work on the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric power station poster ...................... 5Figure 3 Dr. Thomas Aloysius Mclaughlin .................................................................. 6

Figure 4 Putting up distribution lines in rural Ireland .................................................. 7

Figure 5 the transmission system in Ireland in 1930 .................................................. 9

Figure 6 the transmission system in Ireland in 2009 .................................................. 9

Bibliography

Antaisce. (2011). Retrieved February 23, 2012, from www.antaisce.ie:

http://www.antaisce.ie/transportenergy/Electricity/History.aspx

Counci, D. C. (2011). Retrieved February 14, 2012, from www.dublincity.ie:

http://www.dublincity.ie/YOURCOUNCIL/ABOUTTHECOUNCIL/Pages/DublinCityCo

uncilHistory.aspx

Delany, B. (2010). Retrieved February 28, 2012, from www.birrstageguild.com:

http://www.birrstageguild.com/ESB%20RE.htm

eirgrid. (2011). Retrieved February 28, 2012, from www.eirgridprojects.com:

http://www.eirgridprojects.com/grid25/what-is-grid25/

eirgrid. (2011). Retrieved February 28, 2012, from www.eirgridprojects.com:

http://www.eirgridprojects.com/media/North%20South%20400%20kV%20Interconne

ction%20Development%20-%20Re-Evaluation%20Report.pdf

ESB. (2012). Retrieved February 14, 2012, from www.esb.ie:

http://www.esb.ie/main/about-esb/history.jsp


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Heritage, N. I. (2012). Retrieved February 14, 2012, from www.buildingsofireland.ie:

http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/Surveys/Buildings/BuildingoftheMonth/Archive/Name

,79,en.html

ireland, a. a. (2011). Retrieved Feburary 23, 2012, from askaboutireland:

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/life-society/science-technology/irish-

scientists/thomas-mclaughlin-(1896-1/

siemens. (2011). Retrieved February 14, 2012, from www.siemens.ie:

http://www.siemens.ie/content/aboutus/shannonscheme.asp

Picture Bibliography

Figure 1 - esb. (2011). power stations. Available:

http://www.esb.ie/img/2.3.1_Poolbeg_800x600.jpg. Last accessed 23 February

2012.

Figure 2 - buildingsofireland. (2011). BuildingoftheMonth. Available:

www.buildingsofireland.ie/Surveys/Buildings/BuildingoftheMonth/Archive/Name,79,e

n.html. Last accessed 23 February 2012

Figure 3 - askaboutireland. (2011). thomas-mclaughlin. Available:

www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/life-society/science-technology/irish-

scientists/thomas-mclaughlin-(1896-1/. Last accessed 23 February 2012

Figure 4 - Delany, B. (2010). Available: www.birrstageguild.com:

http://www.birrstageguild.com/ESB%20RE.htm. Last accessed 28 February 2012

Figure 5 - Mark Norton. (2010). Transmission overhead linesIrish context.

Available: http://www.engineersireland.ie/public/cigre/Session2_Mark_Norton.pdf.

Last accessed 28 February 2012.

Figure 6 - Mark Norton. (2010). Transmission overhead linesIrish context.

Available: http://www.engineersireland.ie/public/cigre/Session2_Mark_Norton.pdf.

Last accessed 28 February 2012.

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