Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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44. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated CO2 footprint of overheating the proposed north-south interconnector compared to the undergrounding the north-south interconnector. [56403/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The North-South Interconnector is critical to improving the efficient operation of the all-island Integrated Single Electricity Market and increasing security of electricity supply in Ireland and Northern Ireland. It will also facilitate the achievement of the goal to generate up to 80% of our electricity from renewable sources 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 Government does not have a role to play in the delivery of electricity infrastructure on the ground; this is an operational matter for the system operators. No estimates for the CO2 emissions of construction of the North-South interconnector are available, however the completion of the project will allow  a significant increase in the amount of renewable energy on the system. This could in turn power hundreds of thousands more homes through green energy, lowering the overall carbon footprint of the electricity system.