Mid Antrim Upgrade
The Mid Antrim Upgrade is a high-capacity transmission system upgrade. It is planned between the Kells and Rasharkin Main substations in County Antrim.
Project overview
Much of our renewable electricity is generated from wind power in the North and West. Yet the greatest demand for electricity is in the East. To transport electricity where it's needed, we must strengthen the grid in the Mid-Antrim area.
The system between Kells and Rasharkin has become a point of congestion. Bottlenecks here mean we cannot readily transfer all of the clean energy available. To address this, the project plans for a high-capacity transmission system upgrade between the Kells and Rasharkin Main substations.
The upgrade includes:
- A new substation at Terrygowan
- An uprate of the existing double circuit between Kells and Terrygowan (one side only)
- A new 110 kV overhead line between Terrygowan and Rasharkin
Benefits of the project
To meet 2030 climate targets, Northern Ireland needs to double our electricity from clean sources. So far, we've added around 1600 MW of renewable generation to the grid. Most of this is from wind generation in the North and West.
This project will allow us to get more clean energy where it's needed. We expect it to save consumers an estimated £9 million per year by 2030.
The Mid Antrim upgrade will allow us to:
- Transport more clean energy to urban centres
- Reduce congestion and constraints on the transmission grid
- Strengthen the network, protecting a secure supply of electricity
- Meet our renewable energy targets and decarbonise the power system for future generations
Where are we now?
SONI is now preparing to carry out a period of statutory Pre Application Community Consultation (PACC) ahead of the submission of planning applications to the relevant planning authorities.
The different phases and the elements of each are outlined below:
Phase 1
- A new switching substation at Terrygowan
- An uprate of the existing double circuit between Kells and Terrygowan (one side only)
Phase 2
- A new 110 kV overhead line between Terrygowan and Rasharkin comprising mainly of wooden poles with steel towers at challenging angles
- A section of underground cabling for entry into Rasharkin Main substation
During this phase of consultation, SONI will provide opportunities for the public to provide feedback in a number of ways.
Project updates
November 2025
SONI are preparing to carry out a period of consultation to introduce the project to the local community, while also re-engaging with key stakeholders to update on our final proposals.
During this phase of consultation, we will provide opportunities for the public to provide feedback in a number of ways before the plans for the project are finalised and submitted to the relevant planning authorities
Interested stakeholders can engage with us through viewing information on the proposals and providing feedback in the following ways:
- Visiting the SONI Consultation Portal: https://consult.soni.ltd.uk/
- Attending one of our consultation events where members of the project team will be available to discuss various aspects of the project:
- Friday 28 November 2025, Rasharkin Community Centre, Ballymena, BT44 8RX, 2pm – 8pm
- Monday 1 December 2025, Ross Park Hotel, Kells, BT42 3LZ, 2pm - 8pm
- Monday 8 December 2025, The Bank, Portglenone, BT44 8HP, 2pm - 8pm
- Email your submission to us at info@soni.ltd.uk
- Write your own submission and post it back to us at:
Mid Antrim Upgrade Project,
SONI Ltd, Castlereagh House,
12 Manse Road,
Belfast,
BT6 9RT
We welcome your feedback up until 30 January 2026, 17:00
September 2025
We have narrowed the preferred infrastructure route for the project and are engaging with landowners who may be impacted by the proposed works. We are completing our environmental assessments and will hold a final public consultation in late 2025.
June 2024
We are currently engaging with landowners who live in the identified route corridor where the overhead line will be placed.
Project links and documents
Have your say
We have engaged with local stakeholders throughout the project. The public participation charity Involve facilitated a two-part engagement process:
- A community forum. This gave local representatives a chance to reflect the views of their organisation or community.
- A citizen sounding board. This brought together a randomly selected group of people living in the proposed area of the new overhead line. They learned about issues, talked about them with one another and made recommendations about what should happen.
The process meant a broad group could learn about the upgrade and route options. It helped us to understand what matters to local communities, landowners and businesses.
To speak with us about the Mid Antrim Upgrade, please contact us by filling in the contact form below.