Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am one of the few Deputies present who is not from an area affected by the Grid25 project. While my constituency may not be affected by the current proposal, there is no doubt, given its topography, that it will be identified for the future development of wind farms. To be fair to the delegation, its members did not come here expecting to hear flippant, throwaway promises that all their problems will go away. It would be disingenuous to make such promises and it would not do any service to the joint committee or these hearings.

Deputy Coffey referred to the existing line between Moneypoint and County Kildare. The joint committee needs to do considerable work in this regard. We must raise with EirGrid the failure of the company to consult the various groups before us. We also need to invite in representatives of Clare County Council, North Tipperary County Council and others, to establish how much development has taken place near the line from Moneypoint to County Kildare, for example, in terms of housing development. We also need to have before us representatives of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland and National Cancer Registry as they should be in a position to superimpose on a map of the existing grid the dwellings of people who have been diagnosed with cancer and so forth. The joint committee must do a proper analysis because we need information.

I accept that the groups before us are not being given information and that the lack of engagement has created a vacuum which is being filled by fear. We must try to debunk the myth that the grid is not needed. We should ask the Industrial Development Agency what it requires in the north west, north east, south east and west, which will be the next line. This would help us to ascertain whether the grid is required. We hear flippant remarks that it not needed. Let us find out if it is needed, the reason it is needed and how many jobs the project will support in the regions. We must also ascertain if it can be completed in a manner that accommodates local communities.

The joint committee must engage with Iarnród Éireann and the National Roads Authority. It would be easy for me, as a Deputy from a constituency that is not affected by the proposal to erect transmission pylons, to demand that they be buried. Proper engagement is needed with other owners of State infrastructure to ascertain whether they will accommodate EirGrid. There is no point in asking for cables to be placed under a motorway if the National Roads Authority subsequently refuses permission for X, Y or Z reasons. We also need to consider using our railway infrastructure. Broadband cable has been installed through the centre of the country, including along disused railway lines.

Have the groups before us discussed with the relevant local authorities what tourism projects could be affected by the project? We heard that the project will result in the devaluation of property. Has EirGrid offered any definitive level of compensation? I direct that question to the group from County Monaghan. What is the position of the farmers' organisations? Are they trying to obtain the best possible deal for farmers?

I hope this discussion will mark the start of a process. To be fair to the groups before us, this meeting will not provide any solutions. I would like the joint committee to invite some of the agencies to which I referred before us to clarify whether those living in close proximity to the 220kV line that runs from Moneypoint to County Kildare face a greater risk of being diagnosed with cancer than people living in west Cork. This is the type of information we need. We also require an independent cost-benefit analysis, setting out how much the proposed route will cost and how much an alternative route would cost.

I went through a similar process in respect of power masts, wind turbines and mobile telephones when I was a councillor. In my experience, three quarters of the membership of organisations opposed to these developments falls away once a route has been selected because they no longer view the problem as theirs. Even if the final route selected does not go through their respective area, I encourage the groups before us not to walk away from this issue. It may not be in their parish but everybody else will be left holding the baby. One in four people will be affected by this issue.