Councils meet Eirgrid on pylon plan
A meeting has taken place between Eirgrid and the three local planning authorities - Cavan, Monaghan and Meath county councils - with regard to the development of the North South Interconnector.
The meeting was confirmed by the executive of Cavan County Council at their March monthly meeting on Monday.
Kingscourt councillor Clifford Kelly (FF) had asked for his monthly “update” from local authority management.
Director of Services Brendan Jennings confirmed to Cllr Kelly that a meeting had taken place on February 13 and Eirgrid has now “gone off to do their work in respect of compliance”.
“As one of the planning authorities involved, Cavan County Council’s executive believes that Eirgrid has a lot of work to do on that…all of this is between Eirgrid and the three planning authorities.”
Cllr Kelly then added: “Farmers and landowners are still united on the fact that they will not allow Eirgrid onto their lands.”
This newspaper had previously reported that Eirgrid intends to use wayleave notices to gain access to land to deliver the project, which has cleared all planning hurdles north and south of the border.
It was reported last month that the 400kv power lines, planned along a 138km route from Yurleenan in Tyrone to Batterstown in Meath, through counties Monaghan and Cavan, is unlikely to be operational before October 2031.
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Meanwhile, ESB Networks continues to weigh up a request from Eirgrid regarding an application to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) seeking a Special Order to allow for the compulsory acquisition of land along the proposed interconnector route.
The planning for the North South Interconnector project has been undertaken by EirGrid in the Republic of Ireland, with construction works set to be carried out by ESB Networks.
Engagement with around 400 affected landowners across counties Cavan, Meath and Monaghan commenced in October 2023. After an initial series of written correspondence, EirGrid’s team of agricultural liaison officers met farmers and landowners on a one-to-one basis to discuss possible compensation packages.
€50,000 was available for each pylon on thier land, and a further €48,000 for 300 metres of overhead line that crosses their lands. EirGrid put a deadline on the offers. The semi-state body has declined to reveal how many farmers took up the offers.