Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to come back to the issue of the North-South interconnector with Mr. Foley. I have questions on pylon procurement and access to lands. I do not believe Mr. Foley answered the questions on access to lands as raised by Deputy Carthy. How does EirGrid propose to get access to lands given the community resistance? Has pylon procurement begun? What stage is that at?

On the overall approach to the North-South interconnector in the context of shaping our electricity future EirGrid said:

We cannot achieve this ambition on our own. We need support across a vast range of stakeholders, but particularly in the community and political domains.

The North-South interconnector is a blueprint of exactly what not to do. It is deeply insulting for the communities who are watching this to hear from Mr. Foley in his position that EirGrid has the facts and they have a lot of noise. It actually goes to the root of the problem here. Will Mr. Foley acknowledge that the facts are disputed? The facts have changed over the years. This is the problem and it is fundamental to what is at stake. The local communities are deeply offended by the approach taken by EirGrid and by the Government. There is a solution. It involves real and meaningful engagement, which has not happened to date.

What role will EirGrid have in the review? Has contact been made by the Government, by the Department or by the Minister on the review? In 2006 and 2007, when was it estimated that the North-South interconnector would be operational? In 2021, when is it estimated that the North-South interconnector will be operational? To what degree is community opposition taken into account?