James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I raise this matter on the Adjournment because it is of grave concern to the people of Rush, where 3,000 people, from a population of 9,000 marched to show their concern. I thank the Minister for coming to the House to address this important issue.

I am fully supportive of the interconnector. It is a hugely important part of the future infrastructure of the country and an integral part of our strategy to encourage renewable energy and eventually to make Ireland an exporter of electricity. In the interim it will be important in securing electricity supply, should we not be in a position to create it ourselves. However, I raise a number of issues with regard to the project.

Only 43 people attended the original planning meeting because the people of Rush were not then aware of the project. Let us compare that figure with the 3,000 who marched. Meetings were held between EirGrid and the community group and an independent expert, who would be agreed by the community and EirGrid, was promised. Instead of this, EirGrid appointed a man who, while of some international repute, was not agreed by the community. Besides, within his report there is no mention of what is called the rubbish electricity which causes problems and is associated with a DC cable. Furthermore, a KEMA report was to be agreed, and that is ongoing. No work was to start until the KEMA report was complete but EirGrid have gone ahead with work, opening the road yesterday morning.

This morning, there were scuffles with gardaí. These peaceful people are the solid citizens of Rush. Many of them are rate payers. Business people and families are concerned about the disruption and the effect of this project on their town. There may be questions about the safety of the cable itself. There are health and safety issues. I am not an expert and do not profess to say if it is safe or not, but I know the people have grave concerns. While one cannot say anything is fully affected, if it is rerouted out of the town it will be fully safe because it will no longer be going up the street.

The manner in which the people of Rush have been treated is scandalous. Women were approached late last night in their own gardens by men pointing torches in their eyes to serve injunctions on them. Why did EirGrid not give notice that injunctions were to be served instead of behaving in this heavy-handed intimidatory fashion? It is unacceptable.

The Meath county manager refused to allow EirGrid to lay a cable through the main street of Ratoath and it was rerouted around the town. Fingal County Council was to have voted on the matter but it was taken off the agenda and permission was got by some other means. Some councillors had promised to vote against it.

There are alternative routes. The lack of good faith shown by EirGrid in not appointing an agreed health expert, in failing to wait for the KEMA safety report and, now, in serving injunctions late at night is abhorrent to me. I ask the Minister to reroute this cable partially out of Rush. This would not be a huge job. There are existing alternatives, and I do not refer to the estuary. There are alternatives north of Rush which can be used.

The people of Rush are extremely upset. An unsafe stand-off is being created there. I appealed to everyone to keep calm but I appeal to the Minister, within whose gift this is, to order this to be rerouted.

I know the Minister will tell us this project is funded from Europe. That is fine. Can he tell us when that funding must be drawn down? When I asked him on a previous occasion he could not tell me if it would be in January or December 2012, or if it would be 2012 at all. The cost of the cable, which is difficult to ascertain, is not an issue. The cable will be required, whatever route is taken.

I appeal, on behalf of the people of Rush, to have their voice heard. I never thought I would see the day, as a private citizen or as a public representative, when the will of one third of a population, who are so concerned they take to the streets about an issue, is completely ignored by their local authority and the Minister in charge. Deputies on the Government side have appealed to the Minister to take action. I fail to understand why he cannot. Ultimately, rerouting will be the cheaper solution.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I am pleased to be here to respond to this matter and to give a perspective on a critical project and one that is sensitive to the local community. The Government, in turn, is sensitive to that, as are all public representatives, who have held discussions, and with the members of the community council, who have had discussions with me regarding the project.

The interconnector is of critical national infrastructural importance. It will give us greater security of electricity and lower prices. It is a critical project and it is in the national interest that it be developed.

EirGrid, the State owned independent transmission system company is building the interconnector. It went through the planning process in September 2009, getting full permission from An Bord Pleanála under the Strategic Infrastructure Act. My Department has no direct role in the planning process. Formal approval followed a comprehensive assessment process, including an oral hearing at which stakeholders, including Rush Community Council, were present. I believe EirGrid has engaged extensively with communities along the route, including the local community and public representatives.

The work starting currently is to put in the piping but not the cable. I understand that will not start until mid-2011. The ducting must go in now because other infrastructural works are planned by Fingal County Council for 2011. The ducting is being combined with other local council works.

During the planning process, including the oral hearing, the matter of health and safety, and the further concerns of the community council, were covered. We commissioned Dr. van Rongen, who is recognised as an international expert. He is a member of the Netherlands Government health council and of the advisory committee of the World Health Organisation international EMF project. I was pleased to be able to commission him to undertake a review. That report is available on my Department's website, which I know the Deputy has seen.

Further to that, work is ongoing between Rush Community Council and EirGrid on the separate issue of the operational safety of the project. KEMA consultants are undertaking a report on that, by mutual agreement.

The planning process has been gone through and time is tight on this very significant €600 million project. Funding is provided by a very competitive arrangement entered into by EirGrid - with Government approval - with the European Investment Bank and a number of major commercial banks. Funding of €110 million is also being provided by the European Energy Programme for Recovery to assist the project. The key determinants for the award of funding by the EU Commission were the demonstrable state of readiness of the project and the strategic importance of the interconnector in its own right.

Having got planning permission, EirGrid was able to place contracts with ABB, the manufacturers of the cable. As Deputy Reilly intimated, getting the cable is a very difficult process. There is huge demand, huge back orders and huge timeline constraints. The securing of planning permission was a condition precedent to the agreement and drawdown of commercial bank and EIB funding. If we were to re-route, an entirely new planning application would be required, which would take approximately two years to process without any guarantee of success. This would seriously jeopardise the funding arrangements in place, with real cost implications for Irish electricity consumers. I understand the European Investment Bank and the European Commission are monitoring the progress of the project. The prospect of a delay would be received very negatively by those two institutions. A delay would risk funding and damage the reputation of the country in terms of winning planning permission, given that one organises contract arrangements on the back of such permission. If the project were not completed, it would call into question Ireland's ability to proceed with similar projects.

I understand that if the proposed works were delayed beyond November, the cost of the delay would amount to €12 million immediately, with knock-on costs accruing thereafter. I am told EirGrid estimates that every day's delay would add approximately €100,000 to the cost of the project. This would be added directly to electricity consumers' bills. Any delay in getting under way with the works would affect other scheduled project works and other infrastructure projects. It would have a real effect on the ability of the State to deliver a project of considerable importance and with considerable budget implications.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I note the phrase "I am told". Does the Minister share my cynicism?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The companies operating are publicly owned companies acting in the public interest and delivering a project that we all regard as beneficial. I understand the concerns of the local community and its desire for an alternative approach. In this instance, however, bearing in mind that planning permission has been granted, some of the fundamental concerns over health effects can be answered by the analysis contained in Dr. van Rongen's report. We could arrange for Dr. van Rongen to answer people's questions in this regard. I said this to the Deputies previously.

If we were to delay the project at this stage, it would have considerable knock-on consequences. I encourage all sides, including EirGrid and the community, to allow for the completion of the safety project. We can raise further questions on safety in light of Dr. van Rongen's analysis. He seems to be a man of real international repute. It is a matter of trying to minimise understandable concern in the community, which is not in anyone's interest. I ask the local Deputies and Senators to do whatever they can in this regard but I cannot re-route an infrastructure project that is urgent for the State. It would have considerable financial implications-----

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Would that be the case even if the KEMA report indicated the Minister should do so?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Construction must proceed now for fear of our losing serious money immediately.