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Project highlights
At a glance
- Location: Portlaoise, Co. Laois
- Project: Electricity network capacity upgrade
- Outcome: Electrical capacity doubled in this location, which can support homes, businesses, and farms
Supporting a growing region
ESB Networks completed a major upgrade at its Portlaoise substation, doubling the amount of capacity available to customers across Laois and the wider Midlands region.
As towns and communities grow, so too does the need for a strengthened electricity network supporting this growth in demand. This upgrade ensures the local electricity network can support new homes, expanding businesses, and modern technologies, while continuing to provide a dependable supply for existing customers.
What was delivered
The project involved uprating two electrical transformers at the Portlaoise substation from 31.5 MVA to 63 MVA, effectively doubling the station’s capacity.
MVA (megavolt amperes) describes the capacity of the electricity network. The higher the MVA rating, the more power can be carried, allowing more homes, businesses, and technologies to be supplied at the same time in a geographic area.
Think of MVA like the width of a road. A wider road can handle more traffic at once. In the same way, a higher MVA rating means the electricity network can carry more power to where it is needed.
Benefits for local communities
The upgrade delivers practical, everyday benefits for people and businesses across the Laois area:
More connections: Increased capacity allows new homes, farms, and businesses to connect to the electricity network
Economic support: Enhanced infrastructure helps attract new investment and supports local employment
Future ready network: Capacity is accelerated to meet growing demand arising from uptake in electric vehicles, heat pumps, and renewable energy
Enabling a cleaner energy future
This investment helps Laois prepare for Ireland’s clean energy transition. By increasing capacity now, the electricity network is better equipped to support electrification and the connection of renewable energy sources in the years ahead.
Projects like the Portlaoise upgrade play a key role in reducing carbon emissions while ensuring communities can continue to thrive.
A long-term commitment
The Portlaoise substation upgrade is one example of our work, and forms part of ESB Networks’ wider PR6 programme of investment to strengthen Ireland’s electricity infrastructure and deliver a smarter, more resilient network for the future.
By investing early and at scale, ESB Networks is helping ensure that customers across Ireland have access to safe, secure, and sustainable electricity, today and for decades to come.