Planning Approval For North South Interconnector
EirGrid has welcomed the decision by the Supreme Court to uphold planning approval for the southern section of the North South Interconnector. Planning approval for the project was granted by An Bord Pleanála in December 2016.
This was subsequently made the subject of judicial review proceedings in the High Court. The proceedings were dismissed by the High Court in August 2017 but the judgement was appealed, culminating in today’s Supreme Court decision. This decision draws the legal process to a close in Ireland.
The North South Interconnector is a critical electricity grid development project which will link the grids between Ireland and Northern Ireland, providing security of supply, supporting decarbonisation and reducing the cost of wholesale electricity for consumers.
The project involves the addition of a new 400 kV overhead line to connect the electricity grids of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This proposed line would run through counties Monaghan, Cavan and Meath in Ireland, and Armagh and Tyrone in Northern Ireland.
Liam Ryan, Director of grid development and interconnection at EirGrid, said: “The North South Interconnector is the most important infrastructure project on the island of Ireland today. It will help deliver real benefits to domestic and commercial electricity consumers and will make a significant contribution to helping Ireland achieve its climate change commitments.
“We are pleased that the project has now cleared all of the planning and legal hurdles in Ireland and we are hopeful that the same can be achieved in Northern Ireland in the coming months.”
