Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht
Electricity Generation and Export: Discussion
2:45 pm
Mr. Peter Harte:
We can confirm that it is our plan to put the entire infrastructure for connecting the wind turbines to the grid underground. What that involves is groups of turbines being put together. The power from them is gathered onto low voltage cables and then they converge on intermediate step-up substations. Around 20 of those will be located throughout the midlands. From those 20 substations higher voltage cables - again underground - on public roads and on private lands, will gather the power to converter stations. We will have two large converter stations which covert the power to DC, which is the most suitable way of transporting the power over much longer distances specifically to take the power to the UK. That will deliver the power to two connection points, one in north Wales and one in southern Wales. We will put everything underground.