Minister accuses EirGrid of 'arrogance'

Fine Gael TD for Meath East, and Minister of State, Regina Doherty, attending the final day of the An Bord Pleanala (ABP) Oral Hearing in the North-South Interconnector, said that EirGrid has behaved with what can only be described as arrogance, and with very little respect for the public, affected communities and landowners.

The Meath East TD said yesterday: “This afternoon I made my final oral submission at the ABP Oral Hearing for the North South Interconnector. I joined a room full of landowners, concerned parents and business owners in contributing to the closing statements of this public consultation process.

“I can only describe the behaviour of EirGrid, throughout this whole public consultation process as arrogant and gravely lacking in respect for the public. I noted this afternoon in my closing statement, that it is almost exactly 10 years since I first attended a public meeting in Trim, organised by NEPPC, for the initial proposal for the North South Interconnector.

“I find it incredibly difficult to fathom, exactly how EirGrid, 10 years later, have made so many last minute, but substantial, changes to their planning application, despite having had six years since their initial application to ABP for the interconnector.”

Continuing, Minister Doherty said: “For the second time, we have seen a planning application from EirGrid which is inherently flawed, in the form of what one can only assume to be carefully choreographed changes to 50 access routes, which have left both members of the public, and affected landowners, completely in the dark.

“As a result, we have been left unable to engage with these changes, and I am reliably informed, that some affected landowners have not even been notified by EirGrid as to these changes, despite EirGrid stating otherwise.

“EirGrid, has essentially robbed Meath landowners and communities from being able to partake in what should have been a thoroughly democratic and transparent public consultation. I also share the confusion which was voiced in the room today as to whether ABP will be adjudicating upon this planning application either with, or without, the extensive amendments to access routes presented by Eirgird.

Concluding, Ms Doherty said: “Again, I echoed the striking absence of a fully costed alternative undergrounding, or partial undergrounding, of the interconnector, which, in and of itself, most are in agreement is a much needed upgrade to our critical national infrastructure. We cannot, and will not, take Eirgird on its word, that undergrounding is not feasible for long-term viability and sustainability reasons, given its behaviour of late, and particularly its CEO, Mr Slye’s admission at an Oireachtas Committee that undergrounding is technically feasible.

“I would like to congratulate all of the members of the NEPPC, and indeed the many hundreds of people who have together invested a considerable amount of time in presenting both written and oral submission to the board. Without their efforts, we would not have been in a position to make such a strong and thorough submission to the Board.”

EirGrid delivered its closing arguments at the oral hearing into the proposed North South Interconnector project.

EirGrid’s Brian Murray said: “The proposed second North-South interconnector is necessary to overcome the risk of system separation and to increase transfer capacity between the two electricity transmission systems on the island. The second interconnector is required to achieve the objectives of improving market competition in the context of the Single Electricity Market, to support the development of renewable power generation and to improve security of supply. These are absolutely critical objectives.”

Mr Murray restated support for the proposal voiced by government and other key stakeholders.

“As stated by Mr Brady of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, with only one interconnector between Northern Ireland and Ireland, the two markets cannot operate as a single electricity system. Mr Brady described the interconnector as a key project in delivering objectives of national energy policy, and is specifically supported by Government most recently in the recently published Government White Paper.”

A key focus of EirGrid’s closing statement was the requirement for an overhead, 400 kV Alternating Current (AC) interconnector.

“The use of Direct Current (DC) as opposed to AC current was considered. A DC option will not provide the same level of reliability and security of supply as an AC solution.  A DC solution will be suboptimal. The complexity of the system required to accommodate a DC link introduces a big risk that things can go wrong. There is no example of a comparable HVDC scheme embedded in an AC system.”**

Mr Murray also spoke of the environmental considerations in the proposal.

“The potential for impacts on designated European sites (River Boyne and River Blackwater) have been comprehensively assessed in the Natura Impact Statement (NIS). It has been clearly established in evidence presented at the Oral Hearing that no structures or works will be located within these or any designated European sites. Mitigation by avoidance at the design stage, in addition to effective and proven robust mitigation measures, must lead to the conclusion that there will be no impacts on the integrity of any designated Natura 2000 site.”

On public consultation carried out as part of the project, Mr Murray said “this project has been the subject of exhaustive consultation. It is not and never was a ‘box ticking’ exercise. It is something viewed by Eirgrid as central to the future of the project.”

Mr Murray addressed the issue of temporary access routes, which has been raised on several occasions during the hearing.

“The access routes do not form part of the development. Therefore, no part of the development has changed in any way in the course of the hearing. The access routes are included as part of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). For that reason, Eirgrid has quite properly taken account of information gathered in the course of that process.

It is in this context that EirGrid brought a number of access routes to the attention of the attendees at the hearing in order to enable the Board to assess the modifications proposed to those access routes. These have been advised to affected landowners.”

Mr Murray concluded: “EirGrid submits that the second North-South Interconnector is a project which is critically necessary. It is a project which we believe can only be sustainably developed in the manner proposed, and it is a project which minimises adverse impacts to the greatest extent possible.”