Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On 19 December 2016, An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for the North-South interconnector project in Ireland. The decision concluded a lengthy planning process which included an oral hearing completed over 11 weeks from March to May of last year. The planning decision is currently the subject of judicial review proceedings. The planning process for the section of the project in Northern Ireland is ongoing, with an oral hearing concluding on 27 February 2017.

In light of the motions passed by Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, I requested officials in my Department to prepare proposals for an updated independent study that will bring further clarity to the relative cost and technical merits of the overhead and underground solutions for the North-South interconnector. In preparing the terms of reference for this study and to fulfil the commitment made at a meeting held with public representatives and local community groups in Leinster House on 8 February, my officials held meetings with representatives of the North East Pylon Pressure Campaign on 28 March and the Monaghan Anti-Pylon Committee on 3 April. This engagement was important in facilitating local representative groups' input into the terms of reference drafting process. I have approved the terms of reference for the study and published them on my Department's website yesterday. Construction of the project is not planned to commence before 2018 and I intend that this study will be completed and published before the end of this year.

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