Eirgrid goes underground for intercvonnector to Woodland

EirGrid has applied for permission to construct its east-west interconnector linking Ireland and Britain. The project falls under the category of the Strategic Infrastructure Development Scheme (SIDS) and the application was made to An Bord Pleanala on Tuesday. The development proposed will consist of a subsea cable beneath the Irish seabed to an underground transition joint at North Beach, Rush, Co Dublin, consisting of two power cables installed at a depth of 1.5 metres to three metres within a route corridor 50 metres wide. Underground electric HVDC cables are to be installed between North Beach and a new converter station to be located adjacent to the existing ESB 400kV station at Woodland, Batterstown. The underground cable length from Rush to Batterstown will be 44.2 kilometres in length and consist of two power cables installed in ducts laid in a trench 1.2 metres deep and one metre wide, as well as a third fibre optic cable duct. Each joint pit will be up to three metres wide, 15 metres long and two metres deep. The proposed route corridor in Meath will take in Rath, Cookstown, Hammondtown, Crickstown, Kilbrew, Loughlinstown, Bodeen, Cabin Hill, Flemington, Twenty Park, Lagore Little, Brownstown, Ballymore, Bradystown, Elgarstown, Corkeen, Commons, Wilkinstown, Powderlough, Raynestown, Rathregan, Portan, Ribstown, and Woodland, Batterstown. Submissions can be made to An Bord Pleanala up until 22nd January 2009 on the project, which will link up with the controversial Meath to Tyrone 400kV power line proposal, a route corridor for which has yet to be chosen by EirGrid. The chairman of the North-East Pylon Pressure campaign (NEPP), Francis Lally, asked: 'Why has a company that has consistently opposed underground cables for the proposed North-South interconnector now filed a planning application for an underground interconnector running from north County Dublin to County Meath? There is deep anger in County Meath that EirGrid can put the east-west 400Kv interconnector underground as far as Woodland, in the county, yet when the 400Kv interconnector to the North comes out of Woodland, they want to put it overground on giant pylons.' Mr Lally said EirGrid should look to Denmark where an agreement recently was reached among all political parties that future high voltage lines will be put underground and, eventually, the entire Danish grid will be. 'As the recent expert study by the German Askon Group showed, underground is a cheaper, more reliable, safer, healthier and consistent option for EirGrid.'