The Irish Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has given its support to the 500 MW Greenlink high voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnection project between Ireland and Wales (United Kingdom). The government estimates that the project is in the public interest and the CRU announced that it should be backed with a new regulatory regime, based on the positive outcome of the public consultations and the significant expected impacts from its development.
The regulator will hold a consultation in the first half of 2019 on a proposed "cap and floor" scheme to support the €400m project, which is being developed by Greenlink Interconnector, an affiliate of Element Power. The interconnection line is slated to break ground in 2020 and will be completed in 2023. It would spread across 170 km between the Great Island substation in the Wexford county (Ireland) to Pembrokeshire, in Wales (United Kingdom).