The long-awaited cross-border electricity interconnector is to be delayed by another three years.
Work on the €350m (£292m) north-south power line won’t begin until October 2031, according to reports.
First tabled in 2009, the project aimed at increasing security of supply on both sides of the border has been beset by controversy and delay.
According to the Sunday Business Post, the Irish government is now seeking to implement a compulsory purchase scheme for lands along the 105km route of the high-voltage power lines in Counties Meath, Cavan and Monaghan.
Planning permission for the interconnector’s 35km of pylons north of the border, across parts of Armagh and Tyrone, was granted in 2017.
It’s claimed the latest delay will threaten the Republic’s climate targets and potentially expose southern taxpayers to billions of euro in EU fines.
It will also mean businesses and consumers will continue to face significantly higher electricity bills than they would if the interconnector was in place.
The Dublin government previously estimated that by the end of the decade, up to €100m (£83.4m) extra would be added to southern customers’ bills if the interconnector is not built.
Darragh O’Brien, the Republic’s minister for energy, said he was aware of the delay to the project and he planned to hold meetings with system operator EirGrid and ESB Networks on the issue in the coming days.
SDLP economy spokesperson Sinéad McLaughlin said news of the fresh delay was “extremely concerning”.
“This delay will hit people on both sides of the border in their pockets at a time when many can least afford it and it will also make it extremely difficult for us to meet our net zero targets,” the Foyle MLA said.
“I understand that this is a complicated project, but we need to see the executive working with their counterparts in the Irish government to address these outstanding issues so that we can lower costs for customers across this island, secure our electricity supply and tackle the climate crisis.”
