Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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646. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he has considered applying to the European Fund for Strategic Investment for funding to provide under ground cable; his plans to advance same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32898/17]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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647. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the recent successful grant by the European Fund for Strategic Investment to a Swedish network expansion plan which involves the undergrounding of electricity transmission; his views on whether this would be a suitable funding stream for the North-South interconnector; if so, the reasoning behind his view; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32899/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 646 and 647 together.

EirGrid is the designated Transmission System Operator and its role includes the operation, maintenance and development of the electricity transmission network in Ireland. As detailed in the 2012 Government Policy Statement on the Strategic Importance of Transmission and Other Energy Infrastructure, the Government does not seek to direct EirGrid in the development of energy infrastructure to particular sites or routes or technologies. EirGrid has been successful in accessing significant financial support for major strategic projects from EU sources and will continue to explore such options.

In relation to the North South Interconnector Project, EirGrid successfully applied to the European Commission for grant aid to support the planning process. The grants were received under the Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) scheme. They were provided to part fund the initial feasibility studies and studies required to support the application for planning consent.

ESB, in their role as Transmission Asset Owner in Ireland, must fund the construction of the section of the Interconnector located in Ireland. ESB funds capital expenditure for network infrastructure from a variety of sources including the bond markets and the European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank is also a joint sponsor (together with the European Commission) of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) an initiative to mobilise private investment in projects.

In the case of the North South interconnector, studies completed to date show that undergrounding the North South Interconnector would cost more and deliver significantly less from a technical point of view than the proposed overhead option. In order to provide further clarity on these aspects, a study to update an independent 2012 study on the technical feasibility and cost of undergrounding the North-South Interconnector is being undertaken.