Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The figure of six times the cost was bandied about prior to a Dáil debate we had in 2013 regarding the North-South interconnector. Was that ever a reality? I made the point earlier that the communities in the path of the North-South connector will ask why putting the cables underground is not being considered for this project when it is being considered for the other two projects. Whatever the accurate cost, be it a multiple of 1.75 or 1.57, and considering the damage that will be done to these communities for generations by keeping the cables overhead, is it worth saving on those costs? Fundamentally, considering the damage that will be done by what is proposed, is putting the cables underground not the best option to protect these communities? If the cost is only a multiple of 1.57, as stated in the report, putting them underground should be considered.