Minister Ryan announces study on electricity grid connection

Energy Minister Eamon Ryan T.D., today travelled to Scotland to discuss plans to develop an electricity grid connection with Scottish Energy Minister Jim Mather MSP.

The Ministers announced that they had secured funding for a feasibility study on the development of an offshore wind power grid to connect Northern Ireland, Ireland and Western Scotland.

Speaking from Scotland, Minister Ryan said: “With our shared location, Ireland and Scotland have a constant and plentiful wind supply. We must use this to our advantage, which interconnection allows us to do.

The benefits of such interconnection are significant in terms of security of supply, flexible trading of electricity and reducing the cost of energy. Environmentally,  it will help us as we near agreement with our European colleagues on trading excess renewable power in order to meet our climate change targets and economically, it will bring benefits to the coastal areas involved.

Minister Ryan continued ‘Today’s announcement is part of a wider programme as we are already developing grid connections with Northern Ireland and there are plans for an East West Interconnector to connect Ireland with Northern Wales. I was particularly interested in Minister Mather’s update on Scotland’s plan to connect with Norway as part of a “super grid” concept that would see island countries like ours with an energy connection to Europe.

I am delighted to be here today discussing such exciting proposals with Minister Mather. Ireland and Scotland have much in common and it makes sense for us to work together in on such an important project.’ Minister Ryan concluded.

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