andMr. Quinn asked the Minister for Energy the additional energy capacity and supply available to the Irish economy in the event of connection directly across the Irish Sea to the electricity grid of the Continent and the United Kingdom.

The primary purpose of an inter connector from our point of view would be to provide a back-up facility which would save approximately 200 megawatts of installed capacity on the ESB system.

Can the Minister indicate how the 200 megawatts figure was arrived at?

The normal practice is that whatever capacity is decided on for cable and plant at either end must be duplicated to allow for breakdown. In this case the estimates are based on two cables of 250 megawatts and that amounts, for technical reasons, to a net saving of installed capacity at 200 MW.

Could the Minister give the House any indication of whether there has been any progress towards the reconnection of the link that used to exist which would have provided us with this back-up service, and whether he agrees that the continued absence of this back-up service, as the events of the past few months have shown, presents very serious problems for this country?

I agree fully with what the Deputy said. As regards the first part of his question, the matter is being continuously pursued. The Deputy will appreciate that the restoration of that connector link is not a matter that is directly under the control of the Government.

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