Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief as I must attend another committee meeting. I welcome the chief executive's clear statement in response to my party colleague, Deputy Michael Moynihan, that it is feasible to underground the North-South interconnector project. I suggest that in advancing the project, EirGrid should consult the local community about undergrounding options.

Another issue that has not entered the debate much is that the project is for a relatively short distance interconnector, making it completely different from the western project and the example in the South and midlands. The technical analysis document states that Grid25 was predicated on forecasted electricity demand at a peak of 8,000 MW daily by 2025. The forecast is now over 5,000 MW daily, which is the same as the 2011 peak. Will the witnesses confirm which figures are correct in that respect?

I attended the public meeting referred to by Deputies Conlan and Ó Caoláin last night in Aghnamullen, County Monaghan. More than 400 decent, honourable local people attended that meeting to voice their concerns, anger and their absolute frustration with the inability of EirGrid to have a meaningful consultation to date. They gave a clear message that they will not be treated as second-class citizens.

Whereas there was a meaningful external panel assessment of the grid projects for the west, the south east and the midlands, the North-South interconnector was an add-on without a meaningful review being undertaken. It is welcome that two of the other projects were substantially changed in terms of how they would be completed. Why can it not be the same for the people of counties Monaghan, Cavan and Meath?

Deputy Michael Colreavy asked about the adverse impact of the interconnector on land values and the devaluation of property. It certainly beats Banagher to hear Mr. Fitzgerald refer to an international qualitative assessment. What about the man or woman who milks 40 or 50 cows a day and whose holding, if traversed by these pylons, would be decimated and no longer be in a position to carry on his or her existing farming practices? One does not need to have any international assessment to know that the real adverse impact of these pylons would be on these individuals, families and communities. We need to get real in the consultations with people and communities. When the project was first initiated in 2009, the cost of putting the lines underground was put at 20 times more than that of overgrounding. Today EirGrid has stated it will be a small multiple of the cost, if at all. The clear message has to go to EirGrid that the people of Cavan, Monaghan and Meath want the North-South interconnector project, if it is to proceed, to be put underground.