Public participation in the development of electricity grid infrastructure: Early engagements and community forums

Plans are in place across Europe to update and develop energy infrastructure to decarbonise the system in the years ahead. Alongside this, calls have emerged for more participatory approaches to new energy infrastructural projects involving a wider range of stakeholders, including those at the local community level. This paper investigates the deployment of a public engagement strategy by the Irish Transmission System Operator (TSO) concerning electricity grid infrastructure developments, whereby a community forum is established. The central research question within this paper is as follows: How and to what extent do participatory practices open spaces of influence for community actors to partake in decision-making regarding electricity grid developments? We investigate a grid development project to highlight the central importance of early engagement with citizens and communities in the delivery of infrastructure projects and provide an outline of the innovative creation of the community forum as a conduit to wider community participation. Within this we highlight points of influence in decision making processes, and participant perspectives on their influence and participation. Reflections are included from engagement practitioners in relation to the implementation of the TSOs engagement strategy, to provide recommendations in relation to engagement with infrastructure and a comparison to the participant input. This empirical case provides insights for both academia and practitioners concerned with the development of electricity grid infrastructure.