Pinsent Masons has today welcomed planning approval for the new £200 million cross-border electricity inter-connector.

The inter-connector will connect the electricity grids in Northern Ireland and the Republic.

The Northern Ireland element of the development was approved by the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) today.

A court challenge to planning approval for the southern element of the development recently failed in the Court of Appeal in Dublin.

Richard Murphy, head of energy for Ireland at Pinsent Masons, said the decision is “welcome for the energy sector as well as engineering and construction”.

He added: “The interconnector is vital if the new Irish Single Electricity Market (I-SEM) is to realise its full potential.

“Operational from 23 May, I-SEM is the single biggest change in the island’s energy market for a decade, and the efficient movement of energy is at the heart of those reforms aimed at maintaining a downward pressure on consumer bills.”