Introduction

What does SONI do?

SONI is the electricity transmission system operator for Northern Ireland. This means we plan for the future of the electricity grid and operate it every minute of every day. This includes interconnecting to neighbouring grids and running the wholesale electricity market. We ensure that everyone has power when they need it at the most economic price possible. The grid safely brings power from generators and sends it to NIE Networks. They then supply electricity to every home, farm, community and business in Northern Ireland.

Why is electricity a solution to climate change?

Electricity can be generated from renewable sources like wind and the sun. These sources of clean energy will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels like coal and oil. Because of this, electricity will increasingly be used for more reasons, like transport and heating.

To prepare for this future, the UK government is aiming for Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. At present, over 40% of Northern Ireland’s electricity already comes from clean sources that have no carbon emissions. A key step towards the ultimate Net Zero goal is to agree an interim target to bridge this gap. The Economy Minister, Diane Dodds MLA, has stated her ambition that Northern Ireland should target at least 70% clean electricity by 2030.

This is climate action – which is essential to reduce the life-threatening risks of the climate crisis. This needs to be achieved without compromising the security of your electricity supply. Finally, the cost of this work will ultimately be paid for by electricity users – so we want you to make an informed choice about its costs and benefits.

How does the electricity grid work?

Moving large amounts of electricity around Northern Ireland requires over 2,000km of overhead lines and underground cables. As a shorthand, we refer to this as the grid – and it’s been safely bringing power from generators to users for decades. The map on page 7 shows where Northern Ireland gets its electricity, and the transmission network that moves this power to where it’s needed.

• Generation companies create electricity and compete to supply it at the best price.
• SONI ensures there is enough electricity, then safely delivers this directly to large energy users and all around the grid.
• NIE Networks take electricity from the grid and send to everyone who needs it.
• Consumers choose an electricity supplier, confident that they’ll have a reliable and secure supply – now and in future.

Why are we talking about Northern Ireland’s electricity future?

The grid will require unprecedented change in the next ten years. We project that Northern Ireland will need at least another 1,300 megawatts (MW) of electricity from clean sources – if not more.

That’s roughly twice as much clean electricity compared to what was available in 2020. This power will have to be generated, connected to the grid and delivered throughout Northern Ireland.

The transition to clean electricity will be challenging, but will help deliver investment and jobs. The transition to clean electricity will be challenging, but will help deliver investment and jobs. It will support economic recovery after the pandemic, and create the potential for investment across the region. It will also make Northern Ireland more energy-independent, and will significantly reduce air pollution caused by electricity generation.

Your protection as an electricity user

SONI is a regulated utility, which means we operate solely for the benefit of the electricity user. We do not own the electricity grid, and have no vested interest in adding to it. We only upgrade or add to the grid in response to government policy, or where it is an essential response to secure Northern Ireland’s electricity supply. Our work is not paid for through taxes, or through government spending. Instead, every electricity user pays for the grid as part of the standing charge on their electricity bill.

Electricity grid – January 2021
Every line and cable on the grid can only carry a certain amount of power. These line capacities are categorised in kilovolts (kV).

How will this consultation process work?

This document offers a summary of our initial thinking on how the electricity grid could change so Northern Ireland can have at least 70% clean electricity by 2030. There are several ways to approach this challenge, and they each have different outcomes. This consultation is about finding a balance between the benefits and potential impacts of each approach. We want to hear what you think – to help us make decisions that reflect your views.

At the end of 2021, we aim to publish our final strategy. This will then help inform the energy strategy being developed by the Department of the Economy. It will also shape the next nine years of specific changes across individual projects. Each of these projects will then have extensive public consultation and will follow the normal planning process. But by talking to us now, you can affect how the electricity grid evolves in the next decade.

Why will we all be using more clean electricity in future?

After generations of burning fossil fuels, we must now work together in response to the resulting climate crisis. Without action, the changes in our weather systems will threaten how we live.

In response, governments are taking collective action to reduce carbon emissions. This means we have to find new ways to meet Northern Ireland’s increasing need for energy without relying mainly on burning fossil fuels.

Electricity helps make this possible, as it can be generated from clean and renewable sources like the wind or the sun. These sources of energy will never run out, and they don’t have carbon emissions that cause climate change. This means renewable electricity will increasingly replace fossil fuels like coal and oil. Natural gas will still be used to generate some electricity as a backup when we can’t rely on the sun or the wind.

What does this mean for the electricity grid?

This creates several challenges for Northern Ireland’s electricity grid.

Meeting a greater need for power

The grid will need to need to carry more power. Since 2000, the demand for electricity in Northern Ireland has grown by 6%. But we project the growth in demand will be substantially higher in the next ten years. These projections are based on the increasing use of electricity for transport and heating.

Coping with variable sources in remote locations

By 2030, most of the electricity on the grid will need to be generated from clean, renewable sources – like the wind or the sun. However, the amount of electricity from these sources depends on the weather. We can’t easily or economically store large amounts of electricity, so we have to allow for this variability. Also, the strongest sources of renewable electricity are typically far away from where most power is used.

Integrating complex forms of generation

Generating electricity from the wind or sun is technically very different from burning fossil fuels to create power. The main challenge is that renewable electricity is generated at a different frequency to the rest of the power on the grid. Adding this much electricity from renewable sources is a significant technical challenge.

The grid we have today cannot carry this much extra power, let alone move this much power across Northern Ireland from renewable sources. To prepare for this future, the electricity grid needs to be made stronger and more flexible.

Managing a decade of grid upgrades

These challenges need a decade of new projects to strengthen the grid. Without this work, Northern Ireland won’t be able to rely on a secure supply of electricity, and we won’t have at least 70% of this power coming from clean sources by 2030.

Finally, this consultation presumes that existing grid upgrades – such as the North South Interconnector – will go ahead as planned and on schedule. Without these existing projects, it will be difficult if not impossible to achieve 2030 goals.

Building and improving partnerships

All our draft approaches depend on support and flexibility from our partners and stakeholders. This includes Government, the Utility Regulator, NIE Networks – and all those who work in Northern Ireland’s electricity system.

What are the challenges of clean electricity?

SONI does not generate electricity – we transport it from generators across the grid. We use the grid to supply power to NIE Networks, who then distribute electricity to all consumers in Northern Ireland. This includes hospitals, schools and homes.

We know that there will be potentially enough new sources of renewable electricity to meet 2030 targets. But we don’t know if the electricity grid will be ready to carry this power. As a result, the electricity grid – including the regulations and policy that affect the grid – needs to change.

The changes we discuss in this consultation are so the grid can meet the unique challenges of renewable electricity. This form of energy:

• is generated far from where it’s needed;
• comes from variable sources; and
• has a different frequency to the rest of the power on the grid, and so is technically harder to work with.

Dealing with remote locations

We are obliged to provide a connection to the grid for new generators, no matter where they choose to locate. Solar energy projects in Northern Ireland tend to be located closer to where more power is needed – and so can be accommodated. However, the greatest source of renewable energy in Northern Ireland is wind. And the strongest and most reliable source of inland wind power is in northern and western regions. Yet most of Northern Ireland’s electricity is used in and around Greater Belfast.

Moving wind-generated electricity from inland locations would require a lot of new grid projects. We would need to upgrade the grid where we connect new renewable generators – and then make the overall grid stronger to carry their power.

Upgrading the grid without disrupting your supply of electricity

We can’t make major changes to the grid while power is flowing – and neither can we turn it all off to get work done. If we are to keep Northern Ireland’s electricity secure, we have to carefully sequence the timing of grid projects to ensure we keep the lights on. This limits how many projects we can complete at any one time.

Informing the public and responding to their concerns

We know that new grid infrastructure projects lead to robust and emotive debates. Communities expect compelling and persuasive reasons for disruptive change. That’s why we offer the public an opportunity to influence our decision-making process. We aim to build trust by clearly explaining our goals and our limitations, and then asking for your response. Where possible, we aim to propose final solutions that reflect your views – and so are more likely to be accepted.

Responding to these challenges

All these factors influenced our thinking – and informed the four draft approaches that we now offer for consultation.

What do we need to achieve?

The way electricity is generated is changing due to government policies that respond to climate change. The UK has set a Net Zero target for carbon emissions by 2050. The Economy Minister Diane Dodds MLA and her department are now developing policy to set targets for Northern Ireland. As an interim goal, the Minister has indicated an ambition of achieving no less than 70% renewable electricity by 2030. This broadly aligns with the targets set by our regional neighbours.

Who do we need to work with to achieve this?

SONI, as the operators of the grid, will play a key role, but we cannot deliver this goal on our own. Achieving at least 70% by 2030 will require change across the entire electricity sector. There needs to be action from electricity generators and developers, from the regulator, from the Northern Ireland executive and from NIE Networks. All key players will need to work together, and there will be a need for flexibility and innovation from all.

This consultation is based on what SONI can do, but it also considers how others in the electricity sector can help reach the 2030 ambition. In fact, some of the four draft approaches we propose are dependent on what other organisations can do to make this journey possible.

Because of this, and of the complexity of this ten year transition, the four draft approaches are not standalone solutions. There are some foundation projects that are common to all four approaches – and the final plan is likely to include elements of all approaches, strongly led by one of them.

Is it possible to reach the 2030 target with all four draft approaches?

No. It’s important to be open about how hard it is to reach the aspired levels of clean electricity in nine years. One of our four draft approaches will achieve at least 70% – but not by 2030. Another of the draft approaches also has a high risk of missing this deadline. We have included these approaches so you understand the scale, cost and impact of moving towards clean electricity. We need to hear your views so we can make the best possible decision.

What do we need you to do?

You will now learn more about each of our four draft approaches to prepare Northern Ireland’s grid for clean electricity. We then need your feedback so we can create a final strategy. This strategy will then lead to specific plans for each of the individual projects that need to be delivered before 2030. All of these projects will be open to public consultation and will be subject to planning permission, as usual.