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Energy minister Eamon Ryan has said that formal preparations for a European electricity supergrid have begun.
 
In Brussels today, energy ministers from ten European countries signed an agreement on the North Seas Countries Offshore Grid Initiative, which will aim to develop a supergrid in northern Europe, increase the amount of renewable energy produced in the Europe's northern seas and facilitate large scale offshore wind projects.

Ireland signed the agreement along with the UK, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands.
 
Work will now focus on the development of offshore and onshore grids. Potential barriers to grid development such as planning, legal or regulatory issues at national and EU level will be identified as part of the project.
 
“This is the best policy decision taken in the EU since the 20-20-20 renewable energy and energy efficiency targets," Minister Ryan said.
"Ireland has been driving this agenda since the beginning. We have the best wind and wave resources in Europe, and political will to match."
 
"This infrastructural project is set to be one of the biggest transnational power structures worldwide," he said. "It will ultimately connect offshore wind farms in northern Europe allowing countries with surplus energy, to export to those with higher demand. Ireland will be one of the primary export countries."
 
Other work is continuing on increasing Ireland’s interconnection. The ISLES project is a feasibility study into the development of an offshore interconnected transmission network between western Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, EirGrid is examining the possibility of further interconnection with the UK and to France, as well as undertaking an offshore grid study.