Paris and Dublin concluded an agreement this Friday to launch the future electrical interconnection “Celtic Interconnector” that will connect the Irish network with the European continent by 2026, announced the French Ministry of Energy Transition. This 700 MW high-voltage submarine link will connect the southern coast of Ireland with the north of France, covering 575 km, allowing for direct exchange of electricity and in particular for Ireland to export electricity produced by offshore wind turbines.
This “first interconnection of Ireland with continental Europe (…) will allow the import and export of enough electricity to supply 450,000 homes,” the ministry said in a joint press release with the Irish authorities, the European investment bank and the operators network. . The interconnection will connect the town of La Martyre in Brittany with the town of Knockraha in County Cork in Ireland.
This connection is framed in the context of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, while Ireland has so far only been linked to its British neighbour. The infrastructure “will help to secure the French and European electricity supply, and will accelerate the use of renewable energy throughout Europe,” said the Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, quoted in the press release.
Commissioning in 2026
“This means that we can import energy from Europe when we need it and, above all, that we can also export energy, especially when we start to realize the enormous potential of our offshore wind capacity”, welcomed Eamon Ryan, the Irish minister. for the environment. The two ministers and the Irish Prime Minister, Michael Martin, were in Paris this Friday to sign the technical and financial agreements.
The agreements provide for construction with Siemens Energy and Nexans, the French cable manufacturer, and an economic contribution of 800 million euros from the European Investment Bank, Danske Bank, Barclays and BNP. Developed by EirGrid and RTE, the two public electricity transmission operators in Ireland and France respectively, the project, whose work will begin in 2023 for commissioning in 2026, has a total cost of 1,623 million euros.
The project, co-financed by Europe, was reconfirmed this month despite a budget gap linked to difficulties in the supply of cables and stations. This interconnection “will use 320 kV HVDC (high voltage direct current) technology, using a 500 km submarine cable, as well as a 40 km underground terrestrial cable in Brittany and a further 35 km in County Cork,” explained Nexans.
Source: BFM TV
