Global GridEast-West: Great Britain to Ireland
East-West is an undersea power cable between Great Britain and Ireland, from Portan, County Meath, to Shotton, Deeside. It can carry 500 MW, the joint 9th largest of Great Britain's 10 interconnectors, and opened in 2012.
See East-West's flow right now, every 5 minutes, on the live dashboard (Great Britain's Interconnectors card), or on the Live map.
Recent flows
On 28 October 2026 (the 22.9 hours to 22:55 UK time), Great Britain exported 4.6 GWh over East-West to Ireland, an average of 201 MW, 40% of its capacity.
Key facts
| Connects | Great Britain and Ireland |
| Route | Portan, County Meath, to Shotton, Deeside |
| Capacity | 500 MW |
| Technology | High-voltage direct current |
| Length | about 261 km, 186 km under the Irish Sea |
| Opened | 2012 |
| Owner | EirGrid |
East-West is one of 2 cables between Great Britain and Ireland, with Greenlink.
Questions and answers
What is East-West?
East-West is a high-voltage power cable between Great Britain and Ireland, running from Portan, County Meath, to Shotton, Deeside. It can carry 500 MW, 4.9% of Great Britain's interconnector capacity, and opened in 2012.
How much power can East-West carry?
500 MW: the joint 9th largest of Great Britain's 10 interconnectors. That is about 4.9% of the 10,304 MW all of them can carry together.
How long is East-West?
About 261 km, 186 km under the Irish Sea: the 3rd longest of Great Britain's interconnectors.
Who owns East-West?
EirGrid.
When did East-West open?
In 2012, so it has been running for about 14 years.
What other cables link Great Britain and Ireland?
Greenlink (504 MW, early 2025). Together with East-West they can carry 1,004 MW.
Where can I see East-West's flow now?
The Global Grid dashboard shows East-West's flow every 5 minutes, from Elexon's figures: whether Great Britain is importing or exporting, and how much.
Great Britain's other interconnectors
| Interconnector | To | MW | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFA | France | 2,000 | 1986 |
| North Sea Link | Norway | 1,400 | 2021 |
| Viking Link | Denmark | 1,400 | 2023 |
| IFA2 | France | 1,000 | 2021 |
| ElecLink | France | 1,000 | 2022 |
| Nemo Link | Belgium | 1,000 | 2019 |
| BritNed | Netherlands | 1,000 | 2011 |
| Greenlink | Ireland | 504 | early 2025 |
| Moyle | Northern Ireland | 500 | 2001 |
Every UK interconnector, with the UK's imports since 2000 and the cables being built
Sources: the cables' owners and operators (capacities, routes and opening dates, as on the Pipelines tab's power link details); the flows on the live dashboard contain BMRS data © Elexon Limited copyright and database right; the United Kingdom's net imports are Ember's yearly electricity data (CC BY 4.0). Facts checked 28 October 2026.
To cite this page: Global Grid, “East-West: Great Britain to Ireland”, globalgrid.uk/interconnector/east-west, and the original source named above.