The North East Pylon Pressure Campaign (NEPPC) has been given the go ahead by the High Court to challenge An Bord Pleanála’s permission for the project.

The grounds for challenging the plans for Eirgrid’s North-South interconnector, which is a proposed 400kV overhead line, were granted include that the project being a project of common interest (PCI) under the EU and promoted by the UK, has to be reassessed in light of the passing of the Brexit vote.

There were also a range of other grounds relied on relating to EU law and Irish domestic law, including infringement of constitutional rights such as property rights, inviolability of the dwelling house and the right to bodily integrity.

Millions spent

Separate applications concerning those parts of the development located in Northern Ireland have yet to be decided and an oral hearing concerning those is due to resume in Armagh city on Wednesday.

The decision was made in late December by An Bord Pleanála to approve the North-South Interconnector, which NEPPC described as “deplorable”.

The plans by EirGrid, the State body in charge of managing, developing and operating the national grid, have been going on for 11 years and €33.6m of electricity bill payers’ money has already been spent just on the southern side of the interconnector.

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Watch: ‘We’ll end up in prison if we have to’ - opposition to EirGrid plans