New works to begin in East Cork on €1.6bn Celtic Interconnector project

New works are due to start on the Celtic Interconnector project in East Cork.

The €1.6bn project will enable the exchange of electricity between Ireland and France.

The confirmed work will require cables to be laid alongside the N25, which will run from Two Mile Inn, east of Midleton, and will continue on to Youghal.

The Celtic Interconnector project is being developed with EirGrid and its French equivalent, Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTÉ), and will be the first interconnector between Ireland and continental Europe.

Eirgrid have confirmed that villages in East Cork will not be affected by the works, with the cables to be laid around the outskirts of Castlemartyr and Killeagh.

As part of the next step by EirGrid, Siemens Energy are preparing to start construction of a converter station in Ballyadam, Carrigtwohill.

The electricity will be transmitted from Brittany via a submarine cable. This underwater cable will meet land at Claycastle, Youghal.

Studies are being completed along the route of this submarine cable.

EirGrid liaison officer Michelle Walsh has said that “a vessel has now been mobilised to carry out pre-trenching and boulder clearance along the route”.

Ms Walsh confirmed that all work on the project is on schedule and the electricity from the continent is expected to start to flow into the Irish national grid by 2027.

EirGrid chief infrastructure officer Michael Mahon said: 

“The engagement by stakeholders, communities, and the fisheries sector, to date, has enabled this project to continue moving forward.”

When built, the Celtic Interconnector is expected to bring many benefits for Ireland, France, and the EU.

The project is set to provide power for around 450,000 homes, make Ireland’s electricity supply more secure and reduce the cost of electricity.