Mr. John Fitzgerald:

The timeline is the timeline by which the project could be delivered. It comes down to how quickly a decision is made. The final investment decision will have to stack up with the French and Irish on both sides. After that, it can be delivered within six years, but that involves taking undue risk. When we built the east-west interconnector, the priority was getting it built as quickly as possible and the direction was to have it done by 2012. We did it within six years.

This project would be done on a slower basis. A timeline of over eight years would be involved and undue risks would not be taken. In terms of completing the planning, the current plan, if the project was to proceed, would be to conclude the consultation for planning and then place contracts for equipment. The project could be delivered by 2025, or a year earlier or later, depending on supply and demand and how quickly both sides progress through the planning process. That is an indicative date, which is subject to change. It firms up once an investment decision is made, but that is typically how long it takes to deliver such a project.

In the case of large infrastructure projects such as these, communities need to be consulted, the investment needs to be sound and things need to be done. The current date is 2025 or 2026. An optimistic date would be 2024. That is a ballpark date in terms of the timeline and is consistent with how long developments are taking in the interconnector market around the world.