Celtic Interconnector agreements between Ireland and France signed

We’re delighted to see that the €1.6 billion contract to build the Celtic Interconnector was signed on Friday, November 25th.

The Celtic Interconnector, which is an EU Project of Common Interest, will provide the first electricity interconnection between Ireland and France and the first ever direct energy connection between Ireland and continental Europe. Through a high voltage 575km cable that is primarily underwater, the interconnector will have the capacity to import and export 700 megawatts (MW) of electricity, equivalent to supplying power to around 450,000 homes.

Cross-border Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) like this are crucial in linking the energy systems of EU countries. They are intended to help the EU achieve its energy policy and climate objectives: affordable, secure and sustainable energy for all citizens, and the long-term decarbonisation of the economy in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

We provided planning expertise and PMO support to successfully steward the scheme through the Project of Common Interest (PCI) permitting process in Ireland and the UK. Our professional planning and project co-ordination services resulted in the project securing Statutory Approval from An Bord Pleanála for the onshore elements in Cork, and other relevant licences are being secured for the offshore elements. We continue to provide ongoing risk management and project co-ordination services during the construction phase as part of the PMO team.

The contract was signed by Mark Foley, CEO of EirGrid, and Xavier Piechaczyk, CEO of RTE France, on the Irish Ambassador’s desk in Paris, accompanied by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, French Minister of Energy Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher, and representatives of the EU Commission and European Investment Bank.

The Celtic Interconnector project is expected to be built by 2026.