North-South Interconnector

The North-South Interconnector is another key piece of our national grid infrastructure which is due to come online in the next few years (or at some point in the future).

The project stretches back to the year 2001 when ESB and NIE began feasability studies on the issue.

Given how long this project has been in the works, the associated planning issues, and the level of ongoing heated discussions which take place, we get the impression that the Celtic Interconnector will be completed and operational long before the second North-South Interconnector comes into being.

The Celtic Interconnector proposes a 575 km route

Three additional points of interconnection were examined between the republic and Northern Ireland.

The selected route for the North-South Interconnector (aka the Tyrone to Cavan Interconnector) begins at a substation in Turleenan, Co Tyrone and terminates at Woodland, Co Meath.

It is expected to provide an additional 1500 MW capacity and runs via a new 400 kV overhead line, through 138 km of counties Meath, Cavan, Monaghan, Armagh and Tyrone.

Planning applications were initially lodged in 2015, and while the project has been the subject of planning reviews and challenges since 2016, it has now received all the appropriate planning consents north and south of the border.

The second North-South Interconnector proposes a 138 km route

Project of Common Interest (PCI)

This project was designated a Project of Common Interest (PCI) by the European Commission in 2013, and had been expected to complete by end of 2020.

As a PCI the project is in receipt of EU funding.

Reasons why the second North-South interconnecter is needed include ‘redundancy’ in case of failure, to accommodate increased renewables on the grid, and to faciliate increased flows across the single electricity market (SEM)

The existing interconnector is a 275 kV double-circuit which is not being operated at capacity to minimise the risk of separation.

Currently restrictions are being placed on the interconnector to reduce any risk of failure or overloading the line. The proposed second interconnector should allow the first interconnector to operate at capacity.

This redundancy will “eliminate” the risk of widespread power failures North and South of the border in the case where the current interconnector fails for any reason.

Cost of Project

Costs for the project were mooted at around the €100 million mark initially

Figures of €250 to €350 million have since been used in relation to the second North-South Interconnector, but given the length of time the project has taken to develop and recent levels of inflation it must surely cost in excess of €350 million by the time it is operational.

The project is expected to save up to €10 million a year in efficiency savings, by strengthening the single electricity market (SEM) on the whole island of Ireland.

Ireland’s Electricity Interconnectors

Observers who claim that interconnectors will solve our future energy needs have not spent much time examining how they are planned, or built or operated.

While all meaningful investment in grid infrastructure should be welcomed, there’s a lot of positives attached to being energy independent via Solar PV.

No need to wait for the completion of interconnectors when your new Solar PV project can make a huge difference for your organisation in the immediate future.