Talking Europe speaks to Eamon Ryan, the leader of the Irish Green Party and minister for the Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport in the current coalition government in Dublin. We caught up with him after he attended a signing ceremony for the Celtic Interconnector, a project that will link the electricity grids of Ireland and France for the first time. Due to come into service in late 2026 or early 2027, the cable will provide power in both directions. Ryan says the project is part of a "new industrial revolution" that will connect European countries and ultimately reduce their energy dependence on Russia and the Middle East.
Explaining what the Celtic Interconnector will do, Ryan said: "We're connecting France and Ireland for the first time. It's a small cable, but it can take large volumes of power, over a length of 550 kilometres, and when it lands on either side, it gives you balancing capability. When the wind is strong in Ireland, we can export to France. When it's quiet, we can import back from France, using a combination of renewables and nuclear from the French side."
