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Project highlights
At a glance
- Location: Dock Road, Limerick City
- Project: Electricity network capacity upgrade
- Outcome: Additional capacity to support homes, businesses and industry in this area
Supporting a growing city
ESB Networks has enhanced the electrical capacity at the Dock Road 38 kV station in Limerick, supporting the continued growth of the city and surrounding areas.
As Limerick rapidly expands, accelerating capacity is essential to enable new housing, support local businesses and power future development in this area. This upgrade will ensure the network is ready to meet increasing demand while maintaining a secure and dependable supply for existing customers.
What was delivered
The project involves the installation of two new transformers at the Dock Road Station. Once fully commissioned, the upgrade will deliver an additional 27.5 MVA of capacity to the local network.
This additional capacity is equivalent to powering approximately 7,000 typical new homes, including those using low‑carbon technologies such as heat pumps and electric vehicles.
The first transformer has already been installed, marking a key milestone in the project, with full completion planned for 2027.
MVA (megavolt amperes) describes the capacity of the electricity network. The higher the MVA rating, the more electricity the network can carry, supporting more homes, businesses, and technologies in a geographic area.
Think of MVA like the width of a road. A wider road can carry more traffic. In the same way, increasing MVA allows more electricity to flow across the network to where it is needed.
Benefits for local communities
The upgrade will bring real benefits to people and businesses across Limerick:
More connections: Additional capacity will support new homes, commercial developments and industrial activity.
Supporting growth: Improved electrical infrastructure helps enable housing delivery and economic development across the city.
Ready for the future: The network is being strengthened to support growing demand arising from electric vehicles, heat pumps and other low-carbon technologies.
Enabling a cleaner energy future
This investment supports Limerick's role in Ireland's transition to a low-carbon future. By increasing capacity now, the electricity network is better prepared to support electrification at scale and the continued connection of renewable energy. Projects like Dock Road are helping to ensure communities can grow sustainably, while contributing to Ireland’s climate ambitions.
Driving capacity through targeted investment
The Dock Road upgrade is part of ESB Networks’ broader PR6 investment programme, which focuses on strengthening and optimising the existing network to deliver capacity where it is needed most.
By combining targeted upgrades with smarter use of existing infrastructure, ESB Networks is helping more customers connect sooner, supporting long-term growth and resilience.