Skip to main content
Normal View

North-South Interconnector

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 November 2021

Tuesday, 2 November 2021

Questions (141)

Darren O'Rourke

Question:

141. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the name of the international expert or consultants appointed to undertake the review of the North-South interconnector; the estimated cost of the review; the timeline of the review; and when its report will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52468/21]

View answer

Written answers

The North-South Interconnector is critical to improving the efficient operation of the all-island Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-SEM) and increasing security of electricity supply in Ireland and Northern Ireland. It will also facilitate the achievement of the target, set out in the National Development Plan, 2021 - 2030, to generate up to 80% of our electricity from renewable sources 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 report of October 2018 was that an overhead line remains the most appropriate option for this critical electricity infrastructure.

Notwithstanding this, I decided to commission a further short review to assess if the overall finding from the 2018 report remains valid. The 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 to appoint an independent expert to undertake the review.

Two leading Italian consultants in transmission grid infrastructure are now engaged on the review and their work is well advanced at this stage. The estimated cost of the review is just over €23,000.

Top
Share