Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1147. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will instruct EirGrid to cease all works on the North-South interconnector project and to underground the project, as requested in a motion passed by Monaghan County Council at a recent meeting; his plans to give the views of the members of Monaghan County Council urgent consideration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22498/15]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1148. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on the recent decision by EirGrid to submit a planning application for the North-South interconnector without consideration being given to the options of undergrounding this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22499/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1147 and 1148 together.

I have taken note of the Motion referred to by the Deputy in his Question.

In January 2014, an Independent Expert Panel (IEP) was established to oversee the integrity of the process being undertaken by EirGrid to report on comprehensive, route-specific studies of overhead and underground options for both the Grid Link (GL) and Grid West (GW) projects. While the North South Transmission Line project (N/S) is outside the IEP's Terms of Reference, the IEP did agree, on foot of a request by my predecessor, to provide an opinion on the compatibility of the methodologies, to be employed on the GL and GW projects with what had already been done on the N/S project up to and including 2 May 2014, being the date that the IEP decided to examine the N/S project.

Having considered and discussed all of the material, the Panel issued a statement on 1 July 2014, indicating its unanimous opinion that, in all material respects, what had already been done on the N/S project is compatible with the methodologies being employed on the GW and GL projects.

On 27 March 2015 EirGrid published a new independently peer reviewed draft Strategy which allows for the achievement of an optimal balance between the competing demands of publicly consulting on necessary network development, choosing the best emerging technology options for that development, and minimising new build. The draft strategy found that there remains a clear need for the North South transmission line, and that the existing proposal for a 400kV overhead line remains the most appropriate solution for the project. I understand that EirGrid intends to lodge the planning application with An Bord Pleanála today (9 June).

Following submission of any final application to An Bord Pleanála in respect of each of the two projects, a further consultative process will be open to interested parties. Section 182A of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (as amended) provides for the making of submissions in relation to an application for consent with respect to a development comprising electricity transmission infrastructure. A timeframe of not less than six week of public consultation is provided for under the section.