EU pledges €4m for Irish-French electricity link planning

Power grid operator Eirgrid and its French counterpart will get €4 million from the European Union to help cover some of the planning costs for their proposed Ireland-France electricity interconnector.

Eirgrid and French grid operator Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTÉ) are planning a €1 billion cable, dubbed the Celtic interconnector, that will link the two countries’ electricity networks, allowing power to flow in both directions.

The European Commission has approved €4 million for spending on an economic assessment of the plan, technical and environmental studies and work needed to get permits in both jurisdictions.

The cable would have a capacity of 700 megawatts, close to what would be provided by two average-sized power plants or enough power to supply up to 450,000 homes. It would allow both nations to trade electricity.

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Eirgrid said the importance of a link to the continent had grown as Brexit became a reality.

"This is a substantial step forward for the project and we strongly welcome the significant financial support from the European Commission for the Celtic interconnector," said chief executive Fintan Slye.

François Brottes, chairman of RTÉ, said the grant was a clear recognition of the work done on the project by both grid operators.