Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 698: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide assurances that a study (details supplied) will include all projects planned or in progress and that the ESB in future will have to submit costing for underground options as part of an environmental impact statement and that commission will be open to submissions from effected groups. [6841/08]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Study on the Comparative Merits of Overhead Electricity Transmission Lines versus Underground Cables has been commissioned by my Department and is an independent national study on the relative merits of constructing and operating overhead transmission lines compared to underground cables, having regard to technical characteristics, reliability, operation and maintenance factors, environmental impact, possible health issues and cost.

A request for tenders for the purposes of this study has now issued via the Government's eTenders website. As part of the assignment, the consultants are being asked to review submissions, which may be made to my Department on the subject matter of the study, and to take account of these submissions, as appropriate, in the final report. Advertisements were placed in National newspapers on 13th February, inviting interested parties to make submissions to the Department by 7th March 2008.

The planning and development of transmission and distribution lines are operational matters for EirGrid and ESB respectively. All utilities, whether public or private, are required to produce an environmental impact statement in respect of planning applications for significant infrastructural developments. Such requirements are part of the independent statutory planning process.