Rabbitte's shrewd moves takes heat off TDs for the moment
Simply put, nothing will happen until after the local and European elections. Mr Rabbitte had to pull something out of the hat to settle the nerves of TDs who for months now have faced growing opposition to Grid Link, the Cork to Kildare route, and Grid West, the route from Mayo to Roscommon.
An indication of how sensitive an issue pylons and power lines are for coalition politicians became even clearer yesterday when it emerged the Taoiseach had asked for a third project, the North-South connector between Meath and Tyrone, to be included in these reviews. This followed an impromptu late meeting with worried Fine Gael TDs the night before, including one rattled TD Sean Conlon, who told the country on the airwaves by the morning about this newfound commitment from Enda Kenny. Evidently, all politics is local.
Anti-pylon groups have also pledged to run in the May elections and Government councillors are getting itchy feet, as seen with the recent resignation of one prominent Fine Gaeler in Mayo.
What happens next is anyone’s guess and it will largely be in the hands of an independent panel led by former judge Catherine McGuinness. Even Eirgrid, the state owned transmission operator, cannot put an exact time on the resulting delays in the three projects.
The two reviews — to run power lines under- or overground — will no doubt help gain the confidence of residents, farmers and communities along routes. Furthermore, while the panel is only setting the terms for Eirgrid to do the reviews, it can order its own research if not satisfied with the process.
Another element coming down the line is a World Health Organisation report, which ministers are expecting mid-year, that will give a complete picture about any cancer concerns and power lines.
Privately, TDs claim Eirgrid has made a shambles of the project, particularly the €500m Grid Link, by failing to communicate properly with residents along routes. Some point to the Corrib gas debacle and the families in Rossport and question why Eirgrid did not take the softly, softly approach with a complete overview of all options, including the undergrounding of lines, for landowners.
Clearly there’s a need to upgrade the grid. According to Cork East TD Tom Barry, several large agriculture-linked companies in the South-West may have to cease production temporarily and come off grid daily because of the level of demand for power in the evenings.
“They can’t afford to drop off for a few hours with such large productions,” he recently told this newspaper.
The same TD also pointed out that the abundance of giant pylons in countries, such as Austria, has not inhibited tourism.
“They have them coming out of their ears,” he added.
All eyes will now turn to the reviews under the watch of the independent panel, which could take until the end of the year according to Mr Rabbitte. The heat will come off TDs, briefly.
You have to wonder at how good this Government have become at outsourcing problems, between Irish Water, Constitutional issues and an independent panel on pylons and power lines.
But residents know the 45-metre high pylons will have to built somewhere.
The coalition and Eirgrid must eventually decide exactly where that will be.
