Levers and obstacles for implementing public engagement practices in electricity grid development

• Published in: Heliyon Vol. 10; no. 15; p. e34955
• Main Authors: Boyle, Evan, Revez, Alexandra, Deane, Aoife, Ó Gallachóir, Brian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15.08.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Citizen participation; Energy transitions; Grid development; Infrastructure development; Public engagement; Reflective practice; Infrastructure development; Public engagement; Energy transitions; Citizen participation; Reflective practice; Grid development
• ISSN: 2405-8440; 2405-8440
• DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34955

The scale of change required through the development of new energy infrastructure throughout Europe is vast. The societal dimensions of the energy transition are increasingly recognised as centrally important and approaches to infrastructure development which seek to incorporate such considerations are warranted. EirGrid - Ireland's national electricity transmission operator - through their own historical context, have undergone a journey to develop new strategies for citizen and community engagement with relation to energy grid developments. Here, we reflect upon this journey, situating it within their previous failures and the national context. This process of reflective practice seeks to provide findings for other organisations internationally undertaking a journey towards establishing new engagement practices. The establishment of such practices is critical for enabling deeper societal engagement on the energy transition. A research gap exists in relation to the organisational development of new public engagement practices within institutions tasked with developing infrastructure associated with the energy transition. This creates a challenge whereby ever-increasing calls for public engagement are made, but no lessons exist with relation to how such new practices can be embedded within an organisational strategy. We contribute to this space through answering the research question: what are the key levers and barriers for organisation change towards new forms of public engagement in infrastructure delivery? The reflections outlined through this paper have been provided by individuals in different positions across the organisation. The paper develops key findings which add to the literature in relation to levers and obstacles for implementing public engagement and associated factors. •Barrier and drivers for the development of public engagement strategies for infrastructure delivery.•Reflective practice process across a TSO to provide an analysis of organisational change in relation to public engagement.•Highlights the tension between speeding up the low-carbon transition and engaging citizens in transition processes.•Public engagement must be strongly embedded within organisations to influence the technical aspects of project delivery.