NI energy: Will Northern Ireland get new electricity link from Scotland?

The developer, Transmission Investment, contests Ofgem’s conclusions and has submitted its own economic modelling ahead of final determination.

But that interim ruling demonstrates how, as a GB regulator, Ofgem is not in a position to consider whether the project might be good for NI.

“The regulatory environment is complicated,” says Professor David Rooney, the director of the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy at Queens University, Belfast.

“While Ofgem are required to support the UK’s wider net zero ambitions they focus on supporting projects in GB to improve the market and ultimately customers.”

He added that while Northern Ireland does not have an interconnection policy, the Department for the Economy is working on one in partnership with the NI Utility Regulator.

One industry source told the BBC the position has been further complicated by Brexit with no overarching body able to guide projects which cut across different UK regulators.

“That’s the missing piece since we left the EU because that role was provided by ACER (Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators).

“That mechanism doesn’t exist for a UK piece of infrastructure. Nobody is there saying ‘this is good overall for the UK, so how do we spread the burdens and benefits?’,” the source said.