North South Interconnector Essential to Sustain Ireland’s Economic Growth

Chambers Ireland welcomed the decision by ABP to grant approval for the North South Interconnector. This Interconnector is an essential piece of infrastructure that Ireland needs to sustain our economic growth.

Ian Talbot, Chief Executive Chambers Ireland said, “The reliance on a single interconnection between North and South that is at constant risk of outages poses significant risks to businesses that depend on a secure electricity supply. This scenario is unacceptable in a developed economy. Ireland urgently needs to enhance interconnectivity with Northern Ireland and improve the resilience of our electricity grid in order to ensure that the network can meet the demands of businesses and consumers. The North South Interconnector project must be delivered to address these risks.

“Increasing our level of interconnectivity with Northern Ireland is also of strategic interest for our future energy security and will help Ireland meet its carbon reduction goals. From a competitiveness perspective, the North South Interconnector will remove the constraints and bottlenecks which currently restrict the most efficient flow of energy through the grid. This will have a positive impact on energy prices for both businesses and householders.

“This project will benefit the island of Ireland as whole, and it has been identified as a project of strategic importance by a number of independent committees. The North South Interconnector has been through a robust review by An Bord Pleanála and has now been granted approval. We believe development of this project must begin as soon as possible.”

Ends