Neale Richmond
Question:6. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the status of the Celtic interconnector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43992/21]
View answerThursday, 16 September 2021
Questions (6)
Oral answers (6 contributions)
In light of Brexit and the increased focus on connectivity and energy security, will the Minister please provide the House with an update on the progress of the Celtic interconnector project?
The Celtic interconnector is a €1 billion electricity interconnector jointly proposed by EirGrid and the French transmission system operator, RTÉ, Réseau de Transport d’Électricité. It is proposed to be a 575 km long 700 MW cable from the north-west coast of France to the south coast of Ireland, with 500 km of this being subsea. At this scale, it would be able to provide electricity for some 450,000 homes. The Celtic interconnector will provide a reliable high-capacity electricity link between Ireland and France that will have significant benefits for electricity consumers in Ireland. The project will provide access to the European internal energy market, leading to expected increased competition and lower prices in Ireland. It will also enhance security of electricity supply and facilitate increased capacity for renewable energy here via export access to the mainland European markets.
In late 2019, the European Commission announced a grant of €530 million towards the construction of the interconnector under the Connecting Europe Facility fund. This grant was made possible by significant support for the project from the Irish Government that resulted in its designation as an EU project of common interest.
Following extensive planning and multiple periods of public consultation over recent years, EirGrid decided earlier this year on the interconnector’s route in east Cork. EirGrid has further decided to establish an enhanced community benefit scheme for neighbouring communities. EirGrid will continue to engage with the public on this project in the coming months and years. While I have no function in the area of consenting for the interconnector, I understand from EirGrid that applications to the relevant consenting authorities were submitted in July of this year.
I very much appreciate that full update and reply regarding what is probably one of the most important projects under way between Ireland and another EU member state. It is also a project that has been going on for more than a decade now. While I appreciate the process is lengthy and that much funding has been put in place, the opportunities this presents and which similar projects could present in the future are massive.
They are vitally important, not just in terms of importing energy but also, potentially, exporting energy as we move through our own processes in generating renewals. I am well aware that, during President Macron's visit to Ireland last month, this was a big issue for both the Irish and French Governments.
My supplementary question is on the various applications that have been submitted by EirGrid to the relevant authorities. I ask the Minister to elaborate on when we expect those 450,000 people may be able to get the benefits of the Celtic interconnector? When can we feasibly expect the turning of a sod?
I will use another project as an example, the Greenlink interconnector, which the Deputy knows runs from near Great Island power station in Wexford to the UK. It is a similar 500 MW interconnector. My understanding is that its operators got planning permission and a foreshore licence in 2019. They applied for it and their final planning applications were just agreed this year. They expect to come online, as it were, in 2023. Similar timelines apply to the Celtic interconnector. We expect that it will be live by 2026.
To go back to our earlier conversation about electricity supply certainties, these projects will be hugely beneficial in giving us energy security and export potential, and, to my mind, they will dampen price increases. They are of substantial benefit. We should be looking now at further interconnection as we move to higher renewable capabilities and especially as we develop offshore power to give us that export and balancing capability, which we will look at further. The next two interconnectors will come in 2023 and 2026.
As a final supplementary question, I am quite enthused by the Minister's closing comments on the potential for similar projects in the future. The fact this could come on stream by 2026 and in a total project time of 15 years is remarkable. The real importance of this project is in ensuring we have energy connectivity with the European Union. That is vitally important post Brexit. We do not know what the political winds will be in Great Britain in future. It is vitally important we have that security with our partners in the European Union and we use a successful development of the Celtic interconnector as a blueprint for the future. I hope we can guarantee continuing Government support and appetite for this project and similar.
The scale of change is beyond compare. Much of it will be offshore renewable power. In our case, it will be something like 35 GW of power in the next two decades at least. We are not alone in that. The UK is looking for a similar amount of power from its waters. Similarly, for the rest of north-west Europe, we are looking at up to 200 GW or 300 GW of offshore wind from the likes of the North Sea. Coming with that offshore wind will be a north-west regional electricity market grid. The North Seas countries' offshore grid initiative was signed ten years ago. It is now very much centre stage in the European Union's plans. It is critical we do not allow Brexit to divide the UK from that because we are an island behind an island and this balancing system will not work if the UK is excluded. I am working with my European colleagues on the European Council, which is meeting next week, where this matter is centre stage in what we talk to each other about. We are talking about further interconnection and using that North Seas offshore grid initiative system to create this regionally balanced electricity market.