Muir welcomes decision to grant planning permission for North-South Interconnector

Alliance Infrastructure spokesperson Andrew Muir MLA has welcomed the granting of planning permission for the North-South Interconnector.

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon gave the green light to the Northern Ireland part of the multi-million-pound project, which has already been okayed in the south.

North Down MLA Mr Muir said it was welcome good news.

“Increasing the capacity of the all-island electricity grid will lower bills for people here, and facilitate future economic growth and investment,” he said.

“It is also of vital importance to the future electrification of our roads network via renewable energy, as we roll out the infrastructure required for more electric cars on our roads.

“Getting planning permission for the North-South Interconnector has been a long time in the making. Planning permission for the scheme was granted in the Republic of Ireland as far back as 2016. Regionally significant planning decisions still take far too long in Northern Ireland, and this must be addressed.”