The government has declared of public interest the project to create a first electricity link France-Ireland, supposed to promote the development of renewables and strengthen the security of supply of the two countries, according to a decree published on Sunday in the Official Journal.
The text of the Ministry for Energy Transition, dated August 26, 2022, declares of public utility "
the work to create an underwater and underground electrical connection at 320,000 volts direct current between the converter station in Ireland and the converter station located in La Martyre (France)
”, in Finistère.
Also concerned is an “
underground alternating current link at 400,000 volts connecting the French converter station on the territory of the municipality of La Martyre to the existing electrical substation based in the same municipality
”.
This project, called “
Celtic Interconnector
”, should be commissioned in 2026, according to its promoters, the French electricity network manager RTE and its Irish counterpart Eirgrid.
This link, approximately 575 km long (including nearly 500 km at sea), should facilitate “
the development of renewable energies
” and “
strengthen electrical solidarity between the two countries
”, according to RTE.
The project estimated at around 1 billion euros should also reduce Ireland's dependence on its British neighbor in the context of Brexit.
It has been recognized as a project of common interest (PIC) by the European Union.