Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The independent expert panel considering EirGrid’s Grid West and Grid Link projects has held six meetings. The panel was asked to oversee the integrity of a process to be undertaken by EirGrid to report on the Grid West and Grid Link projects. That process is now under way and the panel expects to be in a position to provide an opinion to me on the Grid West project in January 2015 and on the Grid Link project by August 2015. The panel also agreed to provide an opinion to my predecessor on the compatibility of the methodologies to be employed on the Grid West and Grid Link projects with what has already been done in respect of the North-South project. Having considered multiple reports and discussed the matter at several meetings, on 1 July 2014, the panel advised it was unanimously of the opinion that, in all material respects, what has already been done on the North-South project is compatible with the methodologies now being employed on the Grid West and Grid Link projects. While the panel acknowledged that no two grid infrastructure projects are identical, and that some non-comparabilities were likely to arise when assessing the potential environmental impacts, technical efficacy and cost factors, it was of the opinion that no material differences in the methodologies arose.

The panel also noted that the North-South project is part of an ongoing process which it expects will be subjected to a rigorous assessment as part of the planning processes in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Those planning processes allow all concerned parties, including potential objectors to the North-South project, to register their objections and to have them considered by the planning authorities. Having provided this opinion to the previous Minister earlier this month, the panel has completed its consideration of the North-South project.

See this speech in context