Residents told EirGrid extension will mean two more pylons

EirGrid has moved to assure residents of an East Cork village that a planned extension to an ESB substation in their area will only mean two more pylons at the site, as three existing pylons are to be dismantled.

Concerns about the exact number of towers, their height, and the level of noise expected from the extended substation had been lodged by Knockraha Community Association with Cork County Council this week after EirGrid supplied further information to the local authority as part of its planning application to extend the substation.

EirGrid also said the planned removal of a third transformer at the Knockraha substation should alleviate noise problems, already reported at the site.

According to an EirGrid spokesman, the planned extension will ensure that the station and electricity grid “runs more efficiently”. It said it is part of its Grid25 strategy of prioritising the upgrade of existing electricity infrastructure over development of new infrastructure where possible.

“The proposed reconfiguration of the Knockraha substation will see the construction of five new pylons while three existing pylons will be removed. Four of the new pylons will be just over 20m in height while one pylon, which will need to carry two different circuits simultaneously, will be just over 37m,” the spokesman said.

“One of the advantages to the proposed changes is that it will make the substation more efficient so that it can be run with only two transformers. This would enable the removal of the third transformer, which has been blamed locally for increased noise levels.”

The extension will also include six lightening masts to protect the substation and its equipment from lightning.

The community association called for an environmental impact statement and rigorous noise studies to be carried out if EirGrid is to extend the station.

Knockraha Community Association is arguing that an environmental impact statement must be carried out, as such assessments were not completed when the substation was first built and the planned extension will increase the site area by 50%. The residents also have fears about ground water and creosote damage from the existing site where materials are stored.

EirGrid said it will supply an environmental impact statement if Cork County Council requests it. Substations are used to manage the electricity flow, to manage faults to avoid blackouts, and to transform electricity voltage as required.

The work will take three to five years to complete.

Knockraha is also the starting point of the controversial Gridlink pylon project, under which EirGrid originally wanted to build a corridor of 400kV pylons from Cork to Wexford and on to Kildare. However, the project has now stalled as an expert group is looking at the possibility of running the transmission lines underground.