'Deadlock' on pylon plan

NEPPC Lobby group make presentation to Cavan County Council

There is “a deadlock on the ground” in regard to the EirGrid’s plan to progress with the 138km overhead electricity line stretching from Meath to Tyrone. The statement was made when a spokesperson for those opposed to the North South Interconnector addressed members of Cavan County Council at the July meeting of the authority.

Padraig O’Reilly of the North East Pylon Pressure Campaign (NEPPC) told members that major advances in underground technology since the project was first initiated in 2005 are being ignored by EirGrid for the NSI.

Meanwhile, EirGrid has said that the project has cleared all planning and legal hurdles and anticipates construction works will commence in late 2022 (see full statement below).

Adding the July meeting of Cavan County Council on Monday afternoon, Mr O’Reilly of NEPPC thanked the council for allowing him to opportunity to make the presentation: “We have been working on this for years and we always found the grass roots support from the councils in three affected counties has been very solid. They have a great understanding of how it affects communities.”

He spoke of a recent challenge to the Northern Ireland decision to progress with the segment of the line north of the Border: “That was heard in the last couple of weeks and we are waiting in the next few days on an announcement on what that decision will be. It’s related to the Department making the decision rather than a Minister. There was no Minister appointed at the time because of the problems with the assembly.”

The NEPPC spokesperson said EirGrid is going on “as if nothing has changed” since 2016 when it was first given planning permission by An Bord Pleanála for the project. “They have gone for procurement. Since 2016 they have not been in contact with landowners on what access routes are to be employed to roll out the programme,” he told members.

Mr O’Reilly said there is a “deadlock on the ground” in regard to the community engagement with the proposed pylons: “The landowners are really resilient, particularly when we look at recent decisions like the one on the Kildare Meath line. This undermined many of the arguments it is using for the NSI position it has taken.

“We know it’s not the exact same line as the NSI, but we do know that many of the statements made about the costs of it have been totally contradicted,” he contended.

The council members were told that a statement by EirGrid to an EU committee that the costs of the project would be 50% higher than originally anticipated would bring it closer to the undergrounding costs.

“We feel we have no option but to continue in our approach of chasing all of the systems EirGrid are using to get this over the line,” Mr O’Reilly said.

“The An Bord Pleanála decision kicked the ball over to yourselves, and the council executive. Many of the conditions should have been deliberated on by An Bord Pleanála. The obvious one is that EirGrid should have submitted the access routes to get on the land.”

In April of this year EirGrid was criticised for rejecting any change to overground cables planned for the NSI. The electricity company appeared before the Oireachtas Climate Committee to discuss the controversial project when Chief Executive Mark Foley insisted putting the 400 Kilovolt cables underground was “not viable” and that contracts have already been awarded for the pylon’s design.

Later that month Taoiseach, Micheál Martin told a Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party meeting that another review of the NSI is on the cards.

Cllr Sarah O’Reilly (Aontu) thanked the NEPPC spokesperson for his presentation and the ongoing work he and Ann Treacy put into keeping the issue alive. She called on the local TDs to throw their weight behind the opposition to the plan.

Cllr Paddy McDonald commended Mr O’Reilly’s efforts saying it was “a vital intervention for the ordinary people of the affected areas”.

Cathaoirleach Clifford Kelly, who has a standing motion on the local authority’s agenda asking for updates on communication between EirGrid and the local authority, said: “I want to offer a sincere thanks to you and Ann for your dedication. The countless hours you both have given to this campaign represents an unbelievable commitment.”

Updated statement from Eirgrid

Contacted for an update in relation to the project, Eirgrid confirmed it has now "cleared all the planning and legal hurdles in Ireland".

The statement reads: "Planning was granted in Northern Ireland last September for the northern section of the line and a new substation. In November, a legal challenge was launched in Northern Ireland to the decision to grant planning approval. The hearing took place in early June and a decision is anticipated in September after the court recess.

"In April there was an important milestone with ESB Networks initiating an EU procurement process to award a framework contract for the construction of the project.

"An Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) notice was posted on eTenders. The OJEU is the publication in which all tenders from the public sector that are valued above a certain financial threshold according to EU legislation must be published.

"ESB Networks is responsible for constructing and maintaining the North South Interconnector in Ireland and will work with Northern Ireland Electricity on the northern element of the project. It is anticipated that the main construction works will commence in the latter part of 2022."