By Anonymous (July 8 2020)

Dear Mr Nolan,

Thank you for your question. The focus of this consultation is for aspects related to the UK portion of the project but we would be happy to answer your question related to the Irish portion of the project.

The landfall point is where the land circuit (underground cable) will connect to the submarine circuit by way of an underground transition joint. This will be installed behind the beach where the submarine circuit comes ashore. The landfall point will be fully re-instated and the interconnector will not be visible on the beach following completion of the works.

Please refer to the below infographic which outlines what the Celtic Interconnector project will consist of in Ireland.

http://www.eirgridgroup.com/site-files/library/EirGrid/Celtic-Interconnector-Infographic.jpg

Yours faithfully,

The Celtic Project Team

By Mr. John Macken, Dublin , Ireland (June 19 2020)

Dear John,

Many thanks for your query. The public consultation is intended to increase public participation in the permit granting process and ensure an informed dialogue with the public regarding the project development. Given that your query is outside of the scope of the public consultation process it would be appreciated if you could direct your query directly to the team at celticinterconnector@eirgrid.com and/or rte-celtic-interconnector@rte-france.com

Yours faithfully,

The Celtic Interconnector Project Team

By Mr. Patrick O’MAHONY, Horsham, United Kingdom (June 19 2020)

Dear Patrick,

Many thanks for your question.

The depth of burial will vary depending on the geology of the seabed and any risk from fishing and shipping activity in the area of the submarine cable, where trawling and the dropping of anchors for example, can pose a risk.
Bearing this in mind, within United Kingdom (UK) Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) waters, the anticipated depths of burial will vary between approximately 0.5m and 2.5m.
It is anticipated that there may be some sections of the route where burial of the cable may be challenging due to the presence of more challenging seabed strata. In such areas where conventional burial tools fail to achieve the target burial depths, the cable may be laid on the seabed and protected by rock placement or secondary protection to ensure adequate protection of the submarine cable.
Rock placement will also be used to protect the submarine cable where it may need to cross over other existing subsea cables and pipelines.
The marine route was identified to ensure that no Environmentally Designated Areas or sites were crossed, in Ireland, France or in the UK EEZ however there will invariably be marine and aquatic life in the vicinity. EirGrid and RTE are committed to protecting and respecting the marine environment affected by the interconnector in all countries and will consult with all relevant authorities and stakeholders.
All relevant legislation will be complied with including the requirements of the UK’s Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and the Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.

Yours faithfully,
The Celtic Interconnector Project Team