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

I thank Deputy Tóibín for providing me the opportunity to discuss the proposed North-South interconnector. It is important to state at the outset that it is not part of the Government’s remit to direct EirGrid in the development of energy infrastructure to particular sites, routes or technologies. This policy was clearly expressed in the 2012 Government policy statement on the strategic importance of transmission and other energy infrastructure.

It is not "my" Government but our Government; it is a Government made up of representatives of this House.

The decisions that have been taken on this project were taken by previous governments, not this Government. Of course, there was no Government in Northern Ireland to make a decision one way or the other.

On 21 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 2016.

The planning process carried out by An Bord Pleanála heard from my Department that the North-South interconnector is a key project in delivering the objectives of national energy policy, specifically, security of supply, competitiveness and sustainability. The interconnector will bring benefits directly to electricity consumers across the island of Ireland through lower prices as a result of more efficient operation of the all-island single electricity market. It will also ensure a safe and sustainable source of energy for both jurisdictions.

All aspects of the project were evaluated, including the potential for undergrounding, and it was determined by the inspector that an overground option was the most appropriate solution. This is dealt with in considerable detail in the inspector’s report. On 23 January 2018, full planning permission was granted for the section of the line that lies in Northern Ireland. The Department of Infrastructure in Northern Ireland stated that the decision was based on the urgent and compelling need for the proposed development and was taken because the Department considered that it is in the public interest to take this decision without further delay given the strategic importance of the project for the region.

So, the statutorily-independent planning processes on both sides of the Border have determined that the proposed North-South interconnector should be developed as an overhead line, not as an underground line. I fully accept the outcome of both planning processes.

The proposed interconnector had already been the subject of a variety of studies, all concluding that an overhead line is the best solution, both from a technical and cost perspective. However, based on concerns expressed to me at meetings with various parliamentary colleagues and local community representatives and to address the main points of the motions passed in the Oireachtas in February and March 2017, I have commissioned two further independent studies into the project. The first study is specifically examining the technical feasibility and cost of undergrounding the interconnector. The second study, at the Deputy's request, is examining the levels of compensation provided to property owners in proximity to high-voltage transmission lines across Europe. Both reports will be published this quarter, and people will have the opportunity to consider them in detail at that stage.

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