Procurement documentation for the LirIC Interconnector indicated that award decisions for major engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contracts were expected by 30 November 2025. The planned awards cover Lot A for HVDC converter stations, including civil and building works at Hunterston and Kilroot, and associated cable contracts under Lot B for subsea and onshore HVDC and HVAC cables. These contracts are intended to deliver the main construction works needed for the 700 MW interconnector between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland approved Marine Construction Licence variation MLVAR2025049 for TI LirIC Limited. This variation extends the expiry date of the original licence ML2024009 to allow completion of ground geotechnical survey activities for the 700 MW LirIC HVDC interconnector between Kilroot power station in Belfast Lough and Scotland. The varied licence covers ground survey work, including cable routing, land requirements, regulatory licensing, voluntary EIA and planning consent work, with a licence period from 24 October 2025 to 1 September 2026.
Upgrade to access detailed cable specifications, supply chain data, projected timeline, financial analysis, and more.
LirIC is a 700 MW HVDC subsea interconnector being developed to link the Northern Ireland and Scottish transmission systems via a roughly 142 km cable route. The project comprises two HVDC converter stations (one in Northern Ireland and one in Scotland) joined by a pair of 320 kV HVDC cables; con...
Owners
Lir Interconnector, Lir Interconnector Project, TYNDP project number 1040, NESO TEC PRO-001454
A-2-Sea Solutions planned to begin pre-construction landfall and marine site investigation surveys for the LirIC interconnector during an appropriate weather window after 9 June 2025. On behalf of Transmission Investment, the contractor scheduled at least 50 days of operations along two planned cable corridors between Northern Ireland and Scotland. The campaign was to comprise marine geophysical data acquisition using hull-mounted and towed sensors, followed by a benthic environmental survey including video imagery and in situ grab sampling, undertaken by the vessels Mintaka 1 and White Ribbon.
Transmission Investment appointed UK submarine cable and survey services provider A-2-Sea Solutions to carry out route surveys for the LirIC interconnector between the Belfast region in Northern Ireland and the Ayrshire region in Scotland. Acting on behalf of LirIC’s sole developer, A-2-Sea Solutions is contracted to perform pre-construction landfall and marine site investigation surveys across the proposed cable route as part of early development activities for the approximately 142 km, 700 MW HVDC project.
On 23 May 2025, TI LirIC Limited launched the procurement process for Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation and Commissioning (EPCI) of the high-voltage cable works for the LirIC HVDC interconnector. Through a tender notice linked to a Request to Participate on the Delta eSourcing platform, the developer invited bidders for Lots covering subsea and onshore HVDC cables between Hunterston in Scotland and Kilroot in Northern Ireland, associated transition bays, onshore cable sections, and the Scottish HVAC grid connection cable, with an estimated total value of about £304 million excluding VAT.
In mid-April 2025, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA) announced that it had acquired 100% of Transmission Investment, the sole developer of the LirIC interconnector. Following the acquisition, Transmission Investment became part of TAQA Transmission, which is responsible for developing and operating TAQA’s high-voltage transmission infrastructure. The existing management, including Chris Veal as head of Transmission Investment, remained in place to continue leading the development of projects such as LirIC.
On 5 March 2025, TI LirIC Limited published a planned procurement notice on the UK Find a Tender service for the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the LirIC HVDC converter stations at Hunterston in Scotland and Kilroot in Northern Ireland. The notice, covering Lot A and its sub-lots A1 and A2 with an estimated value of £453 million excluding VAT, informed OEMs and construction contractors of the forthcoming competitive procedure, set out the technical scope, and invited interested parties to register on the Delta eSourcing portal ahead of the formal tender. A companion notice for HVDC and HVAC cable supply and installation was also signalled.
TI LirIC Limited secured a Transmission Licence to Participate in the Transmission of Electricity from the Utility Regulator for Northern Ireland for the LirIC Interconnector Project. This licence authorises the company to transmit electricity into and out of the Integrated Single Electricity Market on the island of Ireland via the planned 700 MW HVDC subsea link between the Belfast region in Northern Ireland and the Ayrshire region in Scotland. The project will use two converter stations connected to the 275 kV network in Northern Ireland and the 400 kV network in Scotland, with about 142 km of HVDC cable installed underground or under the Irish Sea. The approval marks a key regulatory milestone enabling cross-border power flows for LirIC.
In 2024, the LirIC interconnector project obtained the granting of a transmission licence in Northern Ireland, following its earlier application to the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation. This regulatory approval marked a key milestone in progressing the privately financed 700 MW Scotland–Northern Ireland HVDC interconnector through its development stage.
On 12 November 2024 Ofgem approved the LirIC interconnector for its cap and floor regulatory regime. The decision, reversing an earlier minded‑to‑reject position, confirmed that the 700 MW Scotland–Northern Ireland link developed by Transmission Investment would qualify for a regulated minimum and maximum revenue range over a 25‑year period. This cap and floor arrangement was described by the developer as an in‑principle award and recognised LirIC’s contribution to security of supply and market integration between the Irish Single Electricity Market and the Great Britain wholesale electricity market.
TI LirIC Limited applied for consent to undertake marine survey works for the LirIC interconnector within a window from March 2025 to March 2026. Supporting documentation prepared by RPS describes the application for an EPS and Wildlife Licence and associated survey consents covering marine geophysical, geotechnical, unexploded ordnance (UXO) and benthic surveys along the Offshore Cable Corridor between Kilroot and Hunterston. The application is intended to secure permission for up to approximately 69 days of survey activity to inform cable routing and design.
On 19 April 2024, TI LirIC Limited finalised and issued the LirIC Interconnector Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping Report (version F01). The report set out the voluntary decision to undertake a full EIA for all onshore and offshore elements of the 700 MW HVDC interconnector between Northern Ireland and Scotland, even though an EIA was not strictly required under the relevant regulations. It described the development, outlined potential significant effects during construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning, and defined the topics to be assessed to support future consent applications.
On 17 May 2023, Transmission Investment submitted an application to the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation for a transmission licence for the LirIC 700 MW subsea electricity interconnector between Northern Ireland and Scotland. The privately financed project developer sought this licence to develop, construct and operate the new HVDC infrastructure, marking an early regulatory milestone in LirIC’s progression through its development phase.
LirIC was listed as project number 1040 in ENTSO-E’s Ten Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) 2020. ENTSO-E recognised the project as providing significant benefits to European and UK socio-economic welfare and to decarbonising the energy market by adding controllable cross-border capacity between the Irish Integrated Single Electricity Market and the GB wholesale electricity market.
In 2019, TI LirIC Limited began initial development work on the 700 MW LirIC HVDC interconnector between Northern Ireland and Scotland. The early activity comprised conceptual planning, subsequent investment in detailed project feasibility studies, and engagement with key stakeholders and statutory bodies in both jurisdictions. Work to refine the conceptual design has continued as an ongoing process.
Ofgem granted the LirIC Interconnector Project an in‑principle cap and floor arrangement in Great Britain. This regulated revenue framework sets a minimum return (floor) and caps potential upside (cap) over a 25‑year period, providing the project’s developer, TI LirIC Limited, with greater revenue certainty for the planned 700 MW HVDC interconnector between Northern Ireland and Scotland. The arrangement is described as recently awarded in project procurement documentation and industry press and forms part of the project’s commercial framework alongside its Northern Ireland transmission licence.
The LirIC Interconnector project accepted a grid connection offer from the Northern Ireland Grid System Operator (SONI), marking a key regulatory milestone for the planned 700MW HVDC link between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. This acceptance secures a future connection point for LirIC on the Northern Ireland grid and demonstrates formal system operator support for the project. Together with other development work, this step indicates that LirIC is progressing through its early development phase towards delivery by 2032.
The LirIC Interconnector completed the first phase of its marine seabed surveys along the proposed subsea cable route between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. These seabed investigations provide critical geophysical information needed to refine the 142‑kilometre offshore cable alignment, assess ground conditions, and inform subsequent engineering, consenting, and procurement activities. Completion of this initial survey phase signifies tangible progress in the project’s early development and supports detailed planning for the HVDC interconnector targeted for operation by 2032.
Showing historic events only. Subscribe for the full timeline including projected milestones.