Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This project has a very poor history. The cost to date is in excess of €30 million and there has not even been a JCB put on site. Compensation deals with one issue. The main issues that have been raised by those affected with Members and councillors from their constituency and nearby constituencies are health and safety, life quality issues and the effects on agriculture, the environment, landscape and tourism. This matter has been gone into in great detail with EirGrid and Department officials through questions and face-to-face meetings over at least the past year of my involvement. I am not convinced that the overhead option should be chosen. All Members know that the North-South interconnector is needed, particularly in view of Brexit and the need to integrate the two economies. All Members know that makes sense. The North badly needs our electricity. We need to stabilise our grid and the larger we make it, the more stabilised it will become, as well as providing another opportunity to feed renewables into the grid. All Members understand that and it has all been explained. Somebody now needs to deal with this issue and steer the project in the right direction.

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