Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

In short, the benefit of the project is that at different times of the year, depending on the weather, there will be a surplus of energy in the North and a deficit in the South, or vice versa. By being able to move the electricity and balance the supply around the island, we can ensure better reliability and security of supply and also reduce prices on both sides so that we are not dumping load or shedding load in one part or the other.

The review will be finished by the end of the year. In response to how that fits with EirGrid saying it is in execution mode, as I stated, this is a fully consented project, which has passed all legal hurdles. We have agreed to make sure that the conclusions of the 2018 assessment are still valid, and that something has not changed. We are carrying out an assessment and we will see what the report says. I will not prejudge the report. I do not know what is going to be in it. The report will be done by the end of the year and we will act according to what is recommended in it.

See this speech in context