As Europe transitions towards climate neutrality, public participation is recognised as central to achieving this ambition. Government bodies and energy infrastructure developers must implement effective public engagement strategies as Europe's energy system changes. However, there is an inherent tension between accelerating the low-carbon transition and the time needed to engage citizens in transition processes. Furthermore, what constitutes ‘effective’ in this context and how it is assessed presents a challenge given the multi-dimensional nature of impact. Our research investigated the implementation of Ireland’s transmission system operator’s evolving public engagement strategy as they redevelop their approach to support the expansion and upgrade of the network.