Milestone for power link between Cork and France

A major infrastructure project linking the electricity grids of Ireland and France – previously due to go live this year but now delayed until 2028 – has just passed a significant milestone.

The Celtic Interconnector project will, when completed, involve a 500km subsea power cable running from Knockraha, East Cork, under the sea, and on to the French network at La Martyre, Brittany.

The project is being developed by EirGrid, Ireland’s electricity transmission system operator in Ireland, and its French counterpart, RTÉ (Réseau de Transport d’Électricité).

When completed, the interconnector is expected to allow the exchange of 700MW of electricity, sufficient to power 450,000 homes.

In 2019, the project received €530m in EU funding and had been due to be operational by this year. However, EirGrid’s website says the project’s commissioning date is now “expected for Q4 2028”.

The project’s delay increases Ireland’s dependency on imported gas for electricity generation, at a time when prices have risen since the Strait of Hormuz blockade.

In its latest update on works on the interconnector, EirGrid has said onshore works at Claycastle Beach in East Cork have now been completed, with the final onshore cable installed from the landfall point, ready for the subsea cable from France to come ashore.

Specialist construction methods enabled the installation of the cable beneath Ballyvergan Marsh while protecting its sensitive environment.

In parallel, comprehensive testing of the onshore cables have been successfully completed, with 44km of high voltage current (HVAC) and high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable installed and operationally ready.

Offshore works are steadily continuing, with cable protection and burial works taking place in Irish waters following the installation of 84km of cable last year and 97km of cable laid in French waters this year.