The Department for the Economy has published a policy statement setting out a framework for assessing future external electricity interconnection proposals. The document concerns East-West links and is intended to guide consideration of potential electricity infrastructure connecting Northern Ireland externally. DfE says the framework will focus on consumer value, security of supply and long-term resilience.
The policy statement establishes principles for the assessment of future proposals rather than approving a particular new link. It provides the department’s stated framework for considering the case for external interconnection infrastructure. Consumer outcomes are one of the areas identified by DfE, alongside the ability of the electricity system to maintain supplies and withstand longer-term pressures.
DfE has distinguished the second North-South Interconnector from the external interconnection proposals covered by the policy statement. The department treats that project as all-island transmission reinforcement. That classification means the second North-South Interconnector is not described in the document as an external interconnection project for the purposes of the new framework.
The policy is aimed at future East-West electricity infrastructure proposals. Its publication gives a formal basis for examining how such projects might meet the department’s tests on consumer value, security of supply and resilience. It does not, in itself, amount to a decision to construct a new interconnector. Any future proposal would be assessed under the principles set out in the statement.
Security of supply is specifically identified as a consideration within the framework. DfE has also included long-term resilience, placing the policy focus on how proposed links would perform for consumers and the electricity system over time. The publication brings those considerations together in one policy statement for future external interconnection proposals.
The department’s approach separates external East-West interconnection from all-island transmission reinforcement. In practical policy terms, it means the second North-South Interconnector is considered in the latter category. DfE has said the framework will guide assessment of future external link proposals, with the stated aim of considering their value for consumers, security of supply and longer-term resilience.