Panel ‘may not review’ northern power line

Doubts are emerging that the planned North-South electricity power line route will be reviewed by an expert panel, despite a pledge by the Taoiseach to disgruntled backbenchers.

The head of a Government-appointed expert group said yesterday that the special commission may not have the resources, ability, or even enough time, to investigate the North-South interconnector.

Grid operator Eirgrid is set to lodge planning permission for the Meath to Tyrone electricity route this month.

Former judge and panel chairwoman Catherine McGuinness said she did not want to make a “nonsense” of the panel’s work, which already includes overseeing reviews of lines and pylons in the south and west.

Speaking to Newstalk’s Breakfast Show, she said: “The timescale of that, where they are already into planning permission in Northern Ireland, it’s proposed that we [the Republic] should go to planning permission in a next couple of weeks.

“Whether this particular group really has the resources or the ability to do something sensible about the North-South interconnector is something we have to decide.

“We’re committed to looking at it sufficiently to see whether there is anything sensible or useful that we can do.

However, Ms McGuinness added: “There’s no point in taking on a task that doesn’t make sense or we really don’t have the ability...

“I don’t want to do something that makes a nonsense or could be said that the group looked at the thing for five minutes and said that’s OK or that’s not OK.”

Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte was asked by Taoiseach Enda Kenny last week to review the North-South line, alongside a review of the GridLink and GridWest projects. Mr Kenny’s request came after his Fine Gael party TDs revealed they were promised the northern route would be factored into any reviews.

Mr Rabbitte denied yesterday he had been “shafted” by the Taoiseach, as reported on the weekend, and admitted it remained to be seen if the North-South route would be added to the panel’s work.

He said he met Ms McGuinness last week and she said the panel would see if the northern route could be added to its work examining Eirgrid’s reviews.

“There is an urgency about north-south and the readiness is there by Eirgrid to launch an application,” said Mr Rabbitte

He said that there was “no avoiding the refurbishing of the grid”, or Eirgrid, which is charged with extending routes, which will run across several counties.

“There is no avoiding them doing that and in the interests of socio-economic progress of the country and in the interests of job creation,” said Mr Rabbitte.

He also denied that it was the norm outside Ireland that electricity power lines were laid underground.