Eirgid accused of ‘ignoring’ concerns from north-east

Eirgrid has been accused of double standards by “completely ignoring” those in the north-east while listening to the concerns of those in other regions.

It comes as it was revealed that the semi-state body which is responsible for the national power network has already spent €12m on evaluating the three options for developing the grid between and Munster and Leinster.

After much public pressure, Eirgrid last month said it is axing a plan to bring high voltage overhead lines from Cork to Kildare. Instead a new solution, referred to as the regional option, which will not require overhead lines, will be used.

However, Eirgrid still plans to press ahead with pylons through counties Meath, Cavan and Monaghan for a similar project between the North and South.

At an Oireachtas Committee Eirgrid was yesterday accused of having “zero credibility” as a result of these differing standards.

Limerick TD Patrick O’Donovan said: “The double standard emerged a long time ago when we were told categorically, that you can have any option you like in the south-east as long as it is a lattice structure and you can have any option in the west as long as it is a lattice structure, that has now changed, but it hasn’t changed for the north-east.

Meath East TD Helen McEntee said that public concerns had been completely ignored. Addressing Eirgrid’s chief executive Fintan Slye who was before the committee, Ms McEntee said: “You have come before the committee today to discuss the new innovative plans, but you just have to forgive me for not jumping with joy or doing cartwheels as we have not been given those options, ever.”

Mr Slye said: “We looked at each project and spending hundreds of millions of euro of electricity customers’ money under-grounding the project does not seem to be an appropriate answer.” He said the company has spent €12m on looking at underground and overground options for the link project between Cork and Kildare.

“The total expenditure to date on that project is around €12m and that includes obviously the development of the three options, the comparison of the three options, to enable the regional option to move forward,” he said.