Available Substation Capacity in Ireland

Information on substations. Image courtesy ESB Networks.

 I posted this before, but just doing so again. This interactive map on the ESB Networks website shows transformer capacities. A "substation" indicated on the map could be an actual town substation like the one at Sunnyhill, with 1, 2 or more transformers and associated switchgear and circuit breakers, or a transformer in a cabinet or small building (common in the newer housing estates). A substation could also be a pole transformer. Demand Firm Capacity (DFC) is a measure of a substation's redundancy guaranteed supply available under a "single contingency" (fault). So while named capacity is the total output of a substation, (e.g. 2 MVA for a substation with two, 1 MVA transformers)., DFC is the max output with one of the transformers out of action.

Demand Capacity Available is the amount of spare VA capacity for connections.

In the first image, the popup shows the status for the substation beside Nolan's car park.

In the second image below, the spec is given for Kilcullen 38 kV Station at Sunnyhill. (ESB Networks have it in the wrong place. They haven't fixed it since I let them know). It has two 5 MVA transformers and one 10 MVA transformer. Demand Firm Capacity is 18 MVA. That's based on the larger transformer going off line. That leaves 2 x 5MVA = 10 MVA. The 18 MVA DFC assumes that it takes time for cooling oil to heat up, so a transformer can take higher loads and give overcapacity for a period of several hours until a fault is repaired.

Only 0.6 MVA or 600 kVA Demand Capacity Available is indicated for the town's substation. Also there's a Demand Parent Constraint from the substation's parent at Stratford.

This is a link to the ESB Networks available capacity heatmap.

View the Distribution Network Development Plan.

Information on substations. Image courtesy ESB Networks.