A public inquiry into the Northern Ireland section of the £200 million North-South Interconnector project is due to take place later this month.

Planning approval by authorities in the Republic for the southern part of the Interconnector has already been given the go-ahead.

In December, An Bord Pleanala approved an application by EirGrid, which operates the electricity infrastructure in the Republic, for the construction of the necessary overhead pylons.

A public inquiry into approving the scheme in Northern Ireland is now due to take place at Armagh City Hotel on 22 February.

If it is also approved in Northern Ireland, the line will start at a sub-station in South Tyrone before running into Armagh, Monaghan, Cavan and Meath.

The approval of an application by EirGrid’s counterpart — the System Operator for Northern Ireland — is subject to the public inquiry in February.

Business organisations in Northern Ireland have said that the Republic’s approval is good news and that the Interconnector could help to guarantee the future security of supply for electricity users, replacing ageing infrastructure on both sides of the border.