Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Slye and his officials for their presentation. The documentation sets out the impact of the magnetic fields and appears to suggest that one would be more affected by an electric blanket or razor. The chairman designate of EirGrid, Mr. O'Connor, appeared before the committee yesterday, at which time he stated that there was an impact on the lives of individuals in terms of loss of amenities and in the value of properties. While I accept the scientific case being made in respect of electromagnetic effects and so on, what is less forthcoming is information on the other impacts of the transmissions lines on communities and individuals, which is in the main the reason people are interested in lines being moved or undergrounded.

Perhaps Mr. Slye, rather than just mollifying people through EirGrid presentations or interface around the issues of public health, would elaborate on how EirGrid intends to overcome these issues, which are a real concern for some people. I accept the science does not support this but I believe there are significant issues arising in terms of visual impact, utilisation of properties and loss of value of properties.

The witness speaks about an independent report that effectively suggested the cost would be three times greater if the cables were placed underground as opposed to overground. Taking the lifetime of the project over the decades it would be amortised, what is cost per unit of electricity? Specifically, what would the difference between overground and underground? Of all the major projects identified under Grid25, how many have been completed, how many are under construction and how many are at a planning stage?