A transmission licence application has been made for a 700MW Northern Ireland-Scotland interconnector project.
The LirIC Interconnector project, which aims to connect the two countries by the end of the decade, is currently being explored by Transmission Investment. The independent transmission company said the project will require an investment of around £700 million.
Once fully operational, LirIC will be capable of providing up to 700MW of additional capacity between the Irish Integrated Single Energy market and the GB wholesale electricity market. This will enable power from renewable energy sources to be supplied in either direction with both Scotland and Ireland expanding these particular sectors.
Central to the project’s development are two convertor stations: one situated in Northern Ireland and another in Scotland. A 130km cable will then be used to link the two stations depending on the final route, the firm said.
Transmission Investment added that “potential routes and locations are being studied in detail and will be selected to minimise disturbance to the environment and local communities”.
The application for a transmission licence was submitted by Transmission Investment (which is developing a similar scheme between England and France) to the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation on 17 May 2023.
“The application for a Transmission Licence is an early milestone in a long process, but its significant in that it moves us one stage closer towards delivering this very exciting project,” said Keith Morrison, LirIC project director at Transmission Investment.
“LirlC will increase the opportunities for home-grown renewables to export power to other markets, reduce the curtailment of wind generators, lower the wholesale power price in wholesale markets, which on average is forecast to be higher in Northern Ireland, as well as deliver social economic welfare benefits.
“This interconnector will help balance out the system so that power can be imported or exported according to market requirements. There’s a long way to go in the process, but we are pleased that we have reached this milestone.”
Ireland has been expanding its interconnector capacity with plans unveiled in 2022 that would see the Irish energy grid directly connected to continental Europe for the first time via a 575km interconnector running through the Celtic Sea.
The Celtic interconnector, which is set to be delivered by energy firm Siemens Energy, would enable the exchange of up to 700MW of electricity in both directions from Knockraha, located at the southeastern tip of Ireland, to La Martyre in Brittany, France.
Scotland meanwhile was dealt a blow in its plans to scale interconnection capacity with neighbouring countries when a proposed 1.4GW interconnector saw its license application refused by the Norwegian government.
The license – refused by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy – prevented the 650km interconnector from being developed, jeopardising the NorthConnect project – a joint venture between Norwegian companies Lyse, Agder Energi, Hafslund E-Co and Vattenfall.
NorthConnect, a €1.7 billion project (£1.49 billion), originally applied for a license to establish the HVDC interconnector in 2017.