Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister mentioned the Northern Ireland planning appeals commission's reference to urgent and compelling needs. There is also an urgent and compelling need to respect the rights of citizens in this country. At a recent meeting with the Minister I said 97% of the 400 landowners affected had signed official forms of authority requesting that the North East Pylon Pressure Campaign and the County Monaghan Anti-Pylon Committee alone represent their interests and that no access to land be granted to EirGrid. I again want to repeat that the project will not meet with any community acceptance in counties Cavan, Monaghan and Meath. If the project is needed for the all-Ireland energy market, it will not be developed unless the Government and EirGrid make a decision very shortly to put the transmission cables underground. Quite a number of years ago EirGrid accepted at a meeting of a transport committee, following questioning by me and other members, that it was possible from a technical and engineering point of view to put the transmission cables underground and that the price differential had changed dramatically.

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