Cork councillors concerned over proposed move of Celtic Interconnector cables to minor roads
Councillors have expressed concern that moving cable ducting away from the side of the main N25 onto minor roads will cause significant disruption to a number of communities in the region, especially between Midleton and Carrigtwohill.
Officials at EirGrid have been asked to provide councillors in East Cork with key documents relating to the Celtic Interconnector project.
It is the second time in nine months officials have been asked to provide the documents, which include correspondence from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Irish Rail denying EirGrid permission to use part of the side of the N25 and the Midleton-Youghal greenway for laying cables as part of the crucial electricity project.
The interconnector project involves laying subsea cables to allow the exchange of electricity between Ireland and France.
EirGrid officials were asked at a meeting last December to show the documents to members of the East Cork Municipal District Council, but did not provide them.
They were reminded of this again at the latest municipal council meeting by its chair, Fianna Fáil councillor Ann Marie Ahern, who was fully backed by Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty.
Two senior EirGrid officials were attending the meeting to provide councillors with an update on the Celtic Interconnector project, which is set to bring electricity from France to Ireland and which should become operational in three years’ time.
They maintained the utility had been completely transparent about the project since its inception in 2017/2018, but Ms Ahern said she had asked for copies of the correspondence last December and was taken aback that the council still had not received them.
She was asked to supply the company with her request via email.
“I already did that very clearly in December,” Ms Ahern said.
One EirGrid official said she should do it again, adding: “We’ll see how best we can respond.”
Ms Ahern and other councillors have expressed concern that moving cable ducting away from the side of the main N25 onto minor roads will cause significant disruption to a number of communities in the region, especially between Midleton and Carrigtwohill.
They also cannot understand why the side of the greenway, which is being developed by the county council, cannot be used either.
The local authority acquired a lease from Irish Rail for the greenway project, but Irish Rail remains owner of the land (once part of the former Cork-Youghal railway line) and needs to approve permission for any work on it.
The marine cable from France will make landfall in Youghal. Cables will connect this to a converter station at the former Amgen site at Ballyadam, Carrigtwohill, and onto the ESB’s major substation in the region close to the village of Knockraha, where the electricity will enter the national grid.
In all, more than 1,000km of cables are being used.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
