The French President and An Taoiseach Enda Kenny have launched the next stage of the Celtic Interconnector, a proposed €1 billion subsea electricity cable linking Ireland and France.
The capacity of the Celtic Interconnector is estimated at approximately 700 megawatts (MW), enough to power 450,000 households, and is being studied by EirGrid and its French counterpart Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE).
Following the completion of feasibility studies over the past five years, EirGrid and RTE today agreed to progress the project to the next phase of its development, “Initial Design and Pre-Consultation”.
This latest phase will take two years and comprises an in-depth economic assessment of the project; technical studies and initial technical design specifications; environmental studies; and pre-consultation in preparation for permit granting procedures in France and Ireland.
It will also include the investigation of landing points for a subsea cable and connection points to the electricity transmission grids in France and Ireland.
Upon completion of the “Initial Design and Pre-Consultation” phase, EirGrid and RTE will then decide whether to progress to the next phase of development, culminating in a final decision as to whether or not to proceed with construction of the project. Should it progress, the interconnector will go live in 2025.