The body organisation the awarding of the contract, Eirgrid, has already opened discussions with five main contenders for the work, which are Siemens, French owned Nexan and Areva, ABB from Switzerland, and Italian company Prysmian.
The interconnector project will ensure power can flow between the two countries, Ireland and Wales. It is expected the eventual scheme will have the capabilities of carrying 500 megawatts of electricity, which is the equivalent to a medium-sized generating station.
The link points will be at Deeside in North Wales and Woodland in Meath, where Eirgrid's substation is located. On completion of the work the body will own the interconnector. These plans have already been brought forward to an Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications and Energy.
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Due for completion for 2012, the work is expected to cost between €250m and €300m.
An undersea path, for the point where the cable reaches the shore from Dublin to Woodland, has still to be decided upon.
Deeside was the preferred UK location, as it seemed more likely to gain the regulator's approve, and has the capacity to provide a more efficient supply than other proposed sites.
It is expected that the production process of the interconnector could take up to a year, which, according to Eirgrid Chief Executive Dermot Byrne, could be attributed to the high global demand for this type of equipment.
Current bidder Areva has previously worked in developing nuclear power technology. Its UK-based transmission and distribution functional area of the business is in the running for the interconnector work.
World-renowned engineering group Siemens has also put in a tender for the project. The firm has already worked on major jobs in the Republic.
Nexan, ABB and Prymsian all specialise in large cable and network development projects.
The final decision is expected by autumn, according to Mr Byrne.
(PR/JM)
