Eirgrid considers underground Gridwest option

Eirgrid has said it will keep an open mind on the future of its Gridwest scheme after reopening the public consultation process to allow consideration of an underground option.

Fresh public sessions will begin in Connaught on July 7 after Eirgrid previously indicated its preference for a €250m overhead pylon route between west Mayo and Roscommon.

Last winter, it revealed the preferred route of the line using overhead cables, but this scheme was delayed by the Government’s decision to appoint an independent review panel for all Grid Link projects.

The new route, if viable, would take a more jagged journey from the Flagford substation in Roscommon through Mayo and cross to the north of towns such as Ballaghaderreen rather than to the south.

Eirgrid’s chief executive, Fintan Slye, said one of the concerns from its previous engagement with people in the area was that not enough research was done on the possibility of burying cables. He told Shannonside radio that, despite its earlier endorsement of the pylon approach, it had restarted the public consultation process and would not presume the outcome.

“This is about responding to what the public said to us and what we learned,” said Mr Slye. “One of the key pieces of feedback we got was that the underground option didn’t get the length and breadth of analysis and consideration that it should have done.

“So what we are doing now is setting it out side by side and I don’t think any of us should prejudge what the right answer is.”

The revised plan was welcomed by opponents of the pylon plan, including the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association. Its president, Patrick Kent, said the earlier proposals had not taken into account the potential impact on farming and tourism.

“Despite having originally dismissed the possibility of underground cables, Eirgrid has now accepted it as a viable option,” said Mr Kent. “This model should be a template for future development, and we hope it will also be considered in the context of the Grid Link project.

The results of the new consultation process will be referred by Eirgrid to the independent review team chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Catherine McGuinness.

However, Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte tempered expectations by saying if burying cables cost too much he would not support it. “If it is three times as much, my personal view is that we cannot afford that,” he said.

The independent review panel said: “The panel understands that Eirgrid will now conduct public consultation on this underground route for Grid West, following which both the underground and overhead route options will be presented to the panel so that it can review the options side by side, as per the terms of reference.”