Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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103. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the measures he has put in place to carry out a full and comprehensive review of the proposed North-South Interconnector project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29027/21]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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104. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the progress to date in establishing a comprehensive review of the proposed North-South Interconnector project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29034/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 103 and 104 together.

The North-South Interconnector is critical to improving the efficient operation of the all-island single electricity market and increasing security of electricity supply in Ireland and Northern Ireland. It will also help Ireland to move towards our 70% renewable electricity target by 2030. A resilient and well-connected energy infrastructure is vital for Ireland’s economic well-being and the ability to respond to the future needs of energy consumers. 

The option of undergrounding the North-South Interconnector has been comprehensively assessed on several occasions. Most recently, my Department commissioned an independent report incorporating international industry expertise to examine the technical feasibility and cost of undergrounding the North-South Interconnector and the report from the International Expert Commission was published in October 2018. It found that an overhead line remains the most appropriate option for this piece of critical electricity infrastructure.

Notwithstanding this, I have decided to commission a further short review to assess if the overall finding from the 2018 report remains valid. Terms of reference for this study were published on my Department's website on 21 April. On 7 May, my Department initiated a  procurement process using the procurement frameworks administered by the Office of Government Procurement to appoint an expert to undertake the review.