Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 June 2021
85. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the person or body that will carry out the announced review into the north-south interconnector; the expected cost of the review; if it will fully consider the option for undergrounding the project; and when he expects the review to be concluded. [29379/21]
View answerThe North-South Interconnector is critical to improving the efficient operation of the all-island single electricity market and increasing security of electricity supply in Ireland and Northern Ireland. It will also help Ireland to move towards our 70% renewable electricity target by 2030. A resilient and well-connected energy infrastructure is vital for Ireland’s economic well-being and the ability to respond to the future needs of energy consumers. The option of undergrounding the North-South Interconnector has been comprehensively assessed on several occasions. Most recently, the key finding from the International Expert Commission's October 2018 report was that an overhead line remains the most appropriate option for this piece of critical electricity infrastructure.
Notwithstanding this, I have decided to commission a further short review to assess if the overall finding from the 2018 report remains valid. Terms of reference for this study were published on my Department's website on 21 April. On 7 May, my Department initiated a procurement process using the procurement frameworks administered by the Office of Government Procurement to appoint an expert to undertake the review.
The cost of this review will be determined within this formal Government procurement process in due course. The aim is to complete the review as quickly as possible.
