Overview

The Tyrone to Cavan Interconnector is a major infrastructure project being jointly undertaken by Northern Ireland Electricity and Eirgrid.

This is a cross border project, requested by the Utility Regulators and Governments both in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The key benefits of the Interconnector will be:

1. It will allow the all-island wholesale electricity market to work more efficiently, enabling wider competition between power generators and electricity suppliers throughout the island, and therefore ensuring that future electricity prices will be as competitive as possible.
2. It will enable more renewable generator capacity (mostly wind generation) to be connected to the electricity network. The Governments in both jurisdictions have set challenging targets for the amount of electricity to be generated from renewable sources, and these targets cannot be met without additional interconnection.
3. A second interconnector will enhance the security of supply to electricity consumers throughout the island of Ireland. Security of electricity supply is critical to a modern developed economy.

In December 2009 Northern Ireland Electricity submitted a planning application seeking consent to construct a new 275/400kV volt substation near Moy, Co Tyrone and 33.9km of 400kV overhead transmission line from the new substation to a crossing point on the Armagh Monaghan border. The formal public consultation process will begin in January 2010.