Senator Thomas Byrne.

There have been mixed reactions to Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte's recent policy statement on energy infrastructure, concerning EirGrid's proposed Meath-Tyrone interconnector project.

While the North East Pylon Pressure Campaign (NEPPC) have described it as a "major step forward" in their campaign to have the line constructed underground, Fianna Fail Senator Thomas Byrne has accused the government of doing a "massive u-turn" by supporting EirGrid's plans.

The policy statement states that while the government does not seek to direct infrastructure developers to particular sites or routes or technologies, the government "endorses, supports and promotes EirGrid's Grid 25 programme", which includes the Meath-Tyrone transmission line, and reaffirms that it is government policy that it be delivered in the "most cost efficient and timely way possible on the basis of the best available knowledge and informed engagement on the impacts and the costs of different engineering solutions".

To read the full story see this week's Meath Chronicle.