Eirgrid announces plans for second link-up to UK grid

Electricity transmission company Eirgrid has announced plans for a second connection to the UK grid, as a €600m connection remains mired in technical difficulties.

Eirgrid are holding a consultation on the construction of a second interconnector as they struggle to fix technical issues dogging the East-West Interconnector six months after it was officially opened.

The €600m East West Interconnector had been unexpectedly interfering with the phone line of residents along the powerline which ran from Meath, through Dublin and across the Irish Sea to Wales.

The interconnector differs from a standard electricity line due to the ability to transmit electricity in both directions at 500MW capacity.

A spokesperson for Eirgrid confirmed that the East-West Interconnector was switched off for further works in an attempt to fix the problems.

“The East-West Interconnector is currently on an outage to facilitate works and associated testing.

“It is envisaged that further testing and review of test results will be ongoing for a number of weeks prior to resuming commercial operation of the East-West Interconnector,” he said.

Despite the ongoing issues, Eirgrid and ABB are pushing ahead with planning for a second interconnector in Tyrone.

Eirgrid has begun publishing a Final Re-evaluation Report on the North South Interconnection and is holding a series of open days in Meath, Cavan and Monaghan over the coming weeks.

This is not the first time that Eirgrid have looked at developing an interconnector to link the North and the Republic.

A previous application was withdrawn in 2010 due to a technical error in a planning notice.

EirGrid has undertaken re-evaluation of the project. This focused on a re-examination of issues raised during the previous application process.

EirGrid chief executive Fintan Slye said: “The development of a second interconnector between Ireland and Northern Ireland is fundamental to the delivery of a sustainable, competitive and secure electricity supply to homes, businesses and industries across the island. The publication of this report is an important step in the planning and delivery process for the project.”