Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Most people I speak to agree about the benefits of this project. There are very few who would disagree. Some might argue with it when we are reaching oversupply but I would be much more critical of under supply. The benefits are not the problem.

We need to learn from what happened in Rossport. If it taught us anything it is that walking over people’s concerns leads to project delays, major cost overruns and reputational damage for this country in respect of project development.

If the situation in Rossmore teaches us anything it is that walking over the concerns of people leads to project delays, major cost overruns and reputational damage for the country in project development. Like the delegate yesterday, I would not like to have a pylon within 100 m of my house. It really annoyed people to hear the argument being made in a television debate that there was no evidence that house prices had been devalued because of the proximity of pylons or wind turbines. It is a self-evident truth that house values are devalued if in close proximity to pylons and the opposite opinion should not be used as an argument.

We should examine the actions of government rather than attack individual companies. In the absence of a landscape management strategy from the Government, we will constantly be responding to the actions of individual companies. We are allowing companies to take the initiative rather than the Government and telling companies what we want to do.

I am astonished to hear that this work has nothing to do with wind energy production. Does this mean that electricity generated using wind turbines will never travel on these lines? Does it mean that other sometimes parallel lines will be used to carry power generated by wind energy? I do not understand these things because I am not an engineer. Ten years ago when I was a county councillor in County Leitrim I proposed that any road development should include a roadside service duct. That motion was accepted by Leitrim County Council and presented to the then Government, the response of which was that it would be too expensive. Would it still be as expensive today? Is that not the strategic planning in which we need to engage for this and other projects?