Turn on a switch in Markethill, Armagh, Richhill, Hamilstonbawn or Portadown and the power just arrives – so smoothly that most of us never think about where it comes from. But the substation behind that switch, Drumnakelly Main, is nearing capacity, with electricity demand growing as homes, businesses and communities rely on power in new ways. SONI, the body that plans Northern Ireland's electricity grid, looked at a number of ways to address this. As part of its preferred answer there will be a new overhead power line built on slim single poles, not old-style pylons between Tandragee and Armagh City. SONI wants local people helping to decide exactly where that line runs - not finding out after they are built.
Over the next decade, major changes will be happening across many parts of the UK as we secure our energy supplies and transition away from fossil fuels. Most of us live in a kind of energy blindness — we notice the grid only when it fails, a bill spikes, or a new line appears on a hillside we used to take for granted. But the decisions that shape where that power comes from, and what it costs a place to carry it, are usually made long before any of us are looking. Deliberative democracy — putting real time and real information in front of ordinary residents, not just asking them to react to a finished plan — is one way to close that gap. This is everyday democracy in practice: the right of the public to early, full and transparent information and engagement across the entirety of a proposal, and to genuine collaboration in shaping it, rather than a consultation on a decision that's already been made.
How can local people get involved?
Involve is acting as the independent facilitator for SONI’s community engagement on the Tandragee-to-Armagh grid reinforcement, running two complementary strands of engagement: the Community Forum and the Citizens’ Sounding Board.
Community Forum
The Community Forum is an open group for residents, community groups and local organisations, giving people a channel for early, ongoing insights on route options and local knowledge. It will meet throughout the project, starting on 14 September 2026.
Register your interest in the Community Forum
Residents, community groups and local organisations with an interest in the area can register their interest in joining the Community Forum using the form below or clicking here.
Register your interest in the Community Forum
The Community Forum offers an ongoing way to share local perspectives, questions and insights as SONI develops its plans.
Citizens’ Sounding Board
Look out for a letter inviting you to take part in the Citizens’ Sounding Board. A group of 25 local people will be randomly selected to reflect the area, and will meet for in-depth deliberation on 3 and 10 October 2026, with a further session planned for 2027.
The Citizens’ Sounding Board will learn about the issue, discuss it together and agree recommendations that go directly to SONI to help inform the final route.
The Sortition Foundation will run the recruitment independently, and SONI has no role in facilitating it, keeping the process visibly independent and fair.
What’s next?
Over the coming months, the Community Forum will meet to give participants an opportunity to build their understanding of the proposed route options, reflect the views of their organisation or community, and provide information or insights that may need to be taken into account during project delivery.
The Citizen Sounding Board will hold two sessions in October 2026, with a further session in 2027. SONI will use the Sounding Board's recommendations to help inform its choice between the three route corridors. SONI will publish a final report once the route is confirmed, setting out what changed as a result of the engagement.