Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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220. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a review of the North-South interconnector project is to be carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18107/21]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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245. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he plans to commission a review of the proposed North-South interconnector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19089/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 220 and 245 together.

The North-South Interconnector is critical to improving the efficient operation of the all-island single electricity market and increasing security of electricity supply in Ireland and Northern Ireland. It will also help Ireland to move towards our 70% renewable electricity target by 2030. A resilient and well-connected energy infrastructure is vital for Ireland’s economic well-being and the ability to respond to the future needs of energy consumers. 

The option of undergrounding the North-South Interconnector has been comprehensively assessed on several occasions.  Most recently, my Department commissioned an independent report incorporating international industry expertise to examine the technical feasibility and cost of undergrounding the North-South Interconnector and the report from the International Expert Commission was published in October 2018. It found that an overhead line remains the most appropriate option for this piece of critical electricity infrastructure.

Notwithstanding this, I have decided to commission a further short review to assess if the overall finding from the 2018 report remains valid. Terms of reference for this study are attached.