EIRGRID LIGHTS UP IRELAND – UK WIND LINE

Official Opening of Energy Link Between Ireland and Britain; Eirgrid Delivers East West Interconnector On Time And Under Budget…

September 21, 2012 (EirGrid)

“Ireland’s first electricity link with Great Britain was officially opened…The EirGrid East West Interconnector runs between Deeside in north Wales and Woodland, County Meath in Ireland. Approximately 260km in length, the underground and undersea link has the capacity to transport 500 megawatts – enough energy to power 300,000 homes…

‘The EirGrid Interconnector will carry electricity both ways, benefiting consumers by helping to improve security of supply, increase competitiveness and to encourage the growth of renewable energy generation. [The interconnector was estimated to cost €600 million and received a grant of €110 million from the European Union]…”

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[EirGrid Chief Executive Dermot Byrne:] “The Government asked EirGrid to deliver on this strategic infrastructure by 2012...It was a challenge and it was an achievement delivering the complex project on time and approximately €30 million under budget…[The Interconnector] is the single most important step in allowing Ireland to exploit and to export its enormous resources of renewable energy. Critically it also allows us to access energy from Britain and from across the European continent which will result in more competition to the energy market and put downward pressure on prices”.

[Irish Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte TD:] “Energy infrastructure investment is a long term play. This interconnector is part of a series of major grid development projects which the Government has charged EirGrid to complete over this decade. Delivering such projects on budget and on time is essential so as to keep consumer electricity prices as low as possible…This development shows the benefit of Ireland working in a European context…”

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