merrion street

Minister Naughten accompanied President Francois Hollande and An Taoiseach today as they oversaw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between EirGrid and RTE (Réseau de Transport d’Electricité, French Transmission Operator). The Memorandum of Understanding is an agreement between the two transmission operators to move to the next phase of development of the Celtic Interconnector Project. This phase, which will take two years to complete, will comprise initial design and pre-consultation for an electricity interconnector between Ireland and France.

Commenting on the agreement, the Minister said “The Celtic Interconnector Project has the potential to provide a reliable high-capacity link between Ireland and France that would have huge benefits for the people of Ireland. This project would provide access to the European electricity market, leading to increased competition and lower prices in Ireland. It would also improve security of electricity supply and facilitate increased capacity for renewable energy.”

Minister Naughten also took this opportunity to extend his sympathies to President Hollande on last week’s horrific attack in Nice.