Mr. Fintan Slye:

He spoke about an international grid and I am not 100% sure which one this is. Perhaps it is the EU's 2020 targets by which Ireland is bound. To set out the process we have gone through, we published the Grid25 strategy and consulted on it in 2008. This set off a number of individual projects on which we consulted and engaged with people. We are quite adamant it is appropriate that we continually review projects as we go forward, to ensure they remain appropriate for the society, economy and people who are ultimately going to pay for them. This is what we did. We did a full review of the overall strategy itself and published it as a draft. We engaged in a consultation for ten weeks and did a series of roadshows and public meetings throughout the country with members of the public, facilitated by Irish Rural Link. We also met chambers of commerce and other interest groups to get their input into the decision.

Reference was made to changing decisions without consultation and this is not what we have done. We have been very transparent in terms of how we looked to develop the grid, the overall strategy and how we consult and engage with people on this strategy and on individual projects. Ultimately, our commitment to looking at all available technology options to maximise the use of the existing grid will serve the people by ensuring the best solution is developed and will serve communities by ensuring we engage with them properly with all the options being discussed. As I referred to earlier, we have done extensive analysis of our consultation and engagement process to ensure we learn and improve. As a company we are committed to continuing to learn and improve as we go forward.