Contentious north-south electricity interconnector to run overground despite opposition

The Irish Times · Marie O’Halloran · 2026-11-05 18:40 UTC

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The long-awaited and controversial north-south electricity interconnector is to run overground despite trenchant local opposition, Minister of State for Energy Alan Dillon has confirmed.

Twenty years after it was first proposed, and with continuing demand from local communities and politicians for the high-voltage power line to run underground, the long-delayed critical infrastructure project is now set to be completed and “energised” by 2031.

The Minister told TDs that State agency EirGrid “has determined that the project must be delivered as an overhead line. The Government has accepted the expert opinion.”

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