Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

No, I am not. I am naming EirGrid because I think it is responsible for the untruths it put out there. Successive Governments are responsible for not calling into question those untruths. They should have faced down EirGrid when it was telling people these untruths. The fact is that these lines can be put underground. The concerns that have been expressed about the cost of doing so are dubious, to say the least. Sinn Féin advocates that an all-island approach should be taken to our most pressing problems at all times. I have spoken previously in this House about the need for an all-island approach to be taken to health, economic recovery and transport. A sustainable power supply for the entire island in the future is no different. We support the interconnector project as a means of Ireland achieving its 40% renewable energy target.

We have heard arguments from those who favour the overground pylons approach. They have suggested that undergrounding is neither affordable nor achievable. The contrary was found to be the case when the Oireachtas commissioned an expert report, which stated quite clearly that undergrounding the North-South interconnector was a realistic solution due to "a significant technical development and a commercial breakthrough" in the most recently developed voltage-source converter HVDC technology. There are also benefits to having the cables run underground. Underground cables are disturbed less frequently than overhead lines. Overhead cables are affected by severe weather. Only outside influences can disturb and damage underground cables. Underground cables are low-maintenance, compared with overhead lines. While underground cables cost more than overhead lines at installation, they are low-maintenance, have lower transmission losses, have a longer lifespan and have no environmental or other negative impacts associated with them. All of this suggests that the additional initial outlay will be offset over time by many advantages. Sinn Féin has proposed, as a novel solution, that the underground routing of these cables could be done in conjunction with the development of the A5 dual carriageway. The cables could be ducted underground at the time of the construction of the new road.

An Bord Pleanála's decision to approve the construction of the EirGrid-led North-South interconnector pylons means the various undergrounding options will not be fully considered. There must be a full view of the measures taken so far and a commitment to consult and listen to the communities that will be affected by this scheme. While I understand what the Minister is saying in his amendment, I cannot agree with it. The amendment calls on the Government "to take account of the concerns of the communities of Cavan, Meath and Monaghan". There has been no proper consultation. The quality of the consultation on these gridlines across the country has been absolutely atrocious.