Drumnakelly - Tamnamore Upgrade

With the existing network between Drumnakelly and Tamnamore Main substations already heavily congested, the capacity of the circuits are insufficient to meet expected future demand.

This project aims to upgrade the current infrastructure to increase the capacity and efficiency of the grid and remove constraints in the West of NI. Our preferred option replaces the existing circuits with a higher capacity conductor and uprate both overhead lines to 200MVA.

The Drumnakelly – Tamnamore Upgrade will enable us to: 

We are currently in Part 2 of our SONI’s 3 Part Grid Development Process. We will engage with stakeholders, landowners and the local community about our options. Feedback at this stage will help us to finalise plans.

July 2026

SONI is continuing to progress proposals for the Drumnakelly–Tamnamore Upgrade towards submission of a planning application. As the project moves toward the advanced stages, we are re-engaging with key stakeholders to provide an update on our final proposals and outline the next steps.

At this stage we want to provide further opportunities for members of the public to review the proposals, ask questions and share feedback before the plans are submitted to the relevant planning authorities. As part of this engagement, we will hold two public drop-in events where people can speak directly with the project team and find out more about the project.  We aim to hold these events in November (further information regarding these events will be hosted on this webpage when confirmed).

If you are unable to attend one of the events, you can still view information about the project through our consultation portal: https://consult.soni.ltd.uk/

September 2024

Following approval from Utility Regulator, we have now moved into Part 2 of the Grid Development Process and are now progressing the preliminary preferred option for the project.

During Part 2, SONI will be engaging with a range of stakeholders including local residents, elected representatives, council officials, landowners, business groups and community organisations to discuss their views and collect feedback on the proposals. This engagement will include individual briefings with key stakeholders and elected representatives and a public consultation event where the project team will present the preferred option for developing the project and the rationale behind it.

We are inviting key stakeholders and members of the local community to attend our public engagement event to learn more about the project and offer feedback to help shape our plans for the project.

The details of our public consultation event is as follows:

2pm - 8pm, Thursday 26 September 2024

The Junction, 12 Beechvalley Way, Dungannon, BT70 1BS

Engaging with local communities is essential to our work. We always consult with residents, landowners and stakeholders in grid improvement works.

To speak with us about the Drumnakelly - Tamnamore Reinforcement project, please contact us by filling in the contact form below.