Seán Conlan (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

EirGrid is a semi-State company. Along with other Deputies here I represent the Cavan-Monaghan constituency. The communities in Cavan-Monaghan are very concerned that they have not been treated in the same fair and equitable manner as people in Grid Link and Grid West. There is a fundamental difference in the way they have been treated in terms of consultation compared with the people in the west and south. We are coming to the commemoration of the 1916 centenary. There is a concept of cherishing all the children of the nation equally but we do not feel that we have been treated equally with people in other parts of the country. I asked the landowners of County Monaghan to sign a petition to the Minister, Deputy Alex White before the committee meeting of 31 March. Some 95% of the landowners affected are opposed to overgrounding. They want a specific underground route option and they want to be consulted on it. Some 350 people attended a meeting last night in Aughnamullen community centre and they are all totally opposed to the overgrounding of this project. There is huge community disquiet about the approach taken by EirGrid.

On the point made by Mr. Slye about regional gain, there is absolutely no regional gain in Cavan or Monaghan from this project because the company has not included any converter stations. The previous application included converter stations at Kingscourt but there are no converter stations planned as part of this application so therefore there can be no community gain nor regional gain in the area affected by the project.

The company has pointed out here for the first time that it is technically feasible to put this project underground for the length of the line and that is welcome. The company has said that it will take €500 million more to put it underground than the cost for overground. A number of questions were asked at last night's meeting about the fact that the valuation of property has not been included in the cost of the overground option when compared with the underground option. There is also the question of the effect on tourism in the region if the lines are overground. A number of technical questions were asked and I have some technical questions which I wish the company to address. Mr. Slye said that the project was needed in its current form because of bottlenecks between transfer of energy between the North and South. It is my understanding that the daily flow of electricity between the North and South is between 150 MW and 170 MW and that based on the company's own figures and safety requirements, the current interconnector can take a capacity of 400 MW per day but only 150 MW to 170 MW is being used at a maximum at tea time while the average is around 100 MW per day. There are three power stations in Northern Ireland producing up to 2,300 MW of energy per day.

The average daily consumption of energy in Northern Ireland is 1,200 MW to 1,300 MW. They can produce 2,300 MW per day. The maximum daily use ever of energy in Northern Ireland was 1,700 MW in December 2010 during the very bad weather.

They say the maximum flow they can take in is 400 MW per day but the daily average, according to the website, is between 150 MW and 170 MW. I question the need for this project at a 400 kV line. In EirGrid’s technical guide to the project there is no technical analysis whatsoever of a 220 kV underground option which would cost much less than a 400 kV underground option. It could produce an additional 500 MW per day with a 220 kV line underground. That would be technically possible and that option should be before the people. It has not been put before them and that needs to be done before the project goes ahead. I have communicated this message to the Taoiseach, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Heather Humphreys and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Delegates from the Irish Farmers Association attended the meeting last night and they were unequivocal in saying they believe a 220 kV line is sufficient, given that the three power stations in Northern Ireland have not been closed down and there is new private gas generation contracted to produce an extra 250 MW through traditional sources.

Mr. Slye mentioned the Tobin report. The independent expert panel chaired by Mrs. Justice McGuinness did not have access to the Tobin report before it made its analysis. There is a complete variance between what the Tobin report and PB Power say about the best options. The Tobin report said the preferred route options were underground along roads. PB Power said that was the least best option.

An Bord Pleanála was appointed the competent authority for the project of common interest, PCI, element. Under European law there should have been a Chinese wall placed between the people evaluating pre-project the draft proposal and An Bord Pleanála, which would consider the proposal at an oral hearing. An Bord Pleanála put the draft application on its website. So much for Chinese walls and complying with European legislation.

We were told at the meeting last night that since EirGrid consulted with An Bord Pleanála it has changed the pylon locations again.