Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Development of the high voltage electricity grid as planned in the EirGrid Grid25 strategy is critical to Ireland's economic and social development. Ensuring secure, reliable and safe supplies of electricity is critical to Ireland’s ability to attract inward investment and retain and create jobs.

While the case for proceeding urgently with energy infrastructure in line with overall economic social and energy policy goals is critical to the national interest, I am aware that many people are concerned about the impact that new transmission lines and other energy infrastructure can have on the landscape, the environment and on local communities. Accordingly, it is essential that Grid25 and other energy infrastructure are taken forward on the basis of the best available knowledge and informed engagement on the impacts and costs of different engineering solutions.

Neither the Government nor I seek to direct the energy infrastructure developers to particular sites or routes or technologies, as was made clear in the July 2012 Government policy statement on the strategic importance of transmission and other energy infrastructure. That statement emphasises that these are matters for the developers and for the forward planning process through regional and local development plans and at project level through the development management process. In this context, energy infrastructure developers are encouraged to work with the forward planning processes at regional and local levels to set clear contexts for assessment of individual applications for planning consent and to facilitate as wide a degree of consensus as possible as to how and where to meet grid development needs.

The Government, as detailed in the July 2012 policy statement, expects the companies in making their choices of project specific technologies and routing, as well as mitigation measures, to take account of all relevant national and international standards, to follow best practice and ensure value for money and be informed by detailed consultation at local level.

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