Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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110. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to provide an update on the Celtic Interconnector project; the estimated timeline for completion; the amount of State funding to date towards the project; and the remaining Exchequer funding both current and capital committed over the remainder of this decade. [40923/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Celtic Interconnector is a 700 MW electricity interconnector between Brittany and East Cork, developed by EirGrid and its French counterpart, Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTÉ). This project will reinstate direct connectivity to the Internal Energy Market following the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union.

The project is on track for completion in 2027. The 2024 survey campaign for the project has been successfully completed. The installation of the HVDC cable commenced in the second quarter of 2024, while the HVAC cable route installation is projected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2024.

The offshore marine installation and submarine cable protection works are scheduled to begin in 2025, with completion anticipated in 2026. The commissioning phase for the interconnector is planned for 2026, with energization aimed for late 2026 and the trial operation period expected to conclude by the end of March 2027.

The cost of the project is shared between EirGrid and RTÉ in accordance with the Cost Benefit Cost Allocation determination. The costs are financed rather than directly funded by the State, with costs to be recovered from the operation of the Interconnector. Further detail on this regulatory framework, that aims align the interests of electricity customers and EirGrid while enabling EirGrid to progress and finance this project, is available on the website of the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities.

The project achieved Project of Common Interest Status and was successful in securing €530 million in capital funding under the Connecting Europe Facility significantly mitigating financing requirements.

cruie-live-96ca64acab2247eca8a850a7e54b-5b34f62.divio-media.com/documents/CRU202213-Celtic-Electricity-Interconnector-EirGrid-Regulatory-Framework-Request-decis.pdf.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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111. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to provide an update on the upgrading of the national grid, including the transmission of offshore energy into the national grid; the estimated timeline for completion; the State funding both current and capital to date towards this project; and the Exchequer funding committed over the remainder of this decade. [40924/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity market is a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) which is an independent regulator, accountable to a committee of the Oireachtas and not me as Minister. The CRU was assigned responsibility for the regulation of the Irish electricity sector following the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999 and subsequent legislation.

The CRU is responsible for, inter alia, the economic regulation of the electricity system operators ESB Networks, distribution, and Eirgrid, transmission. The cost of building, safely operating and maintaining the electricity system is recovered by system operators through charges on customers, all of which is overseen and agreed with the CRU. System operator spending is agreed with the CRU in five year cycles, referred to as Price Reviews. The current price review (Price Review 5) is in effect until the end of 2025 and saw the CRU sanction a €4 billion capital investment in the Grid over the period 2021-2025.

Work has commenced on Price Review 6 which will see the CRU sanction the investment in the grid for 2026 to 2030. While a decision is not expected until Q3 2025, the CRU recently published their strategy paper which sought to inform and sought comments from the public on their approach to deciding the funding for the period.

In July 2023 EirGrid published Shaping our Electricity Future 1.1, an update to their roadmap for the development of the transmission grid out to 2030 to deliver on the renewable energy targets, to include the integration of offshore wind into the electricity grid. In January 2023, ESB Networks launched its networks for Net Zero Strategy which outlines its commitment to futureproofing Ireland’s electricity network and making the country’s goal of net zero by 2050 a reality.

Eirgrid and ESB Networks are independent of the Minister in the exercise of their functions as System Operators. The matters raised in this question are operational matters for both Eirgrid and ESB Networks, in the first instance, and the CRU and therefore not a matter in which I have function. The CRU, ESB Networks and EirGrid have respective contact email address for Deputies, of which they are aware, should they wish to raise matters of concern or seek updates on developments to the national electricity grid.