Campaigners call for all activity on Interconnector project be halted

Residents opposing the erection of pylons on their lands to carry high-voltage electricity lines have said all planning and procurement for the controversial North South Interconnector project should be halted until a judicial review is finalised in Northern Ireland.

Eirgrid, however, has confirmed to The Meath Chronicle that it will be proceeding with the procurement of materials and construction contractors over the coming months. It comes as the Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan is resisting calls for a review of the project in the south, putting him on a collision course with government TDs from this region.

It’s intended to build the 140km long, 400 kilovolt overhead line between counties Meath and Tyrone, running through Cavan and Monaghan, over the space of three years.

The northern segment of the line, however, is facing a judicial review in Northern Ireland.

Papers lodged at the High Court in Belfast challenge the lawfulness of Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon’s decision to approve the North South Interconnector last September.

Campaign group Safe Electricity Armagh and Tyrone (SEAT) is seeking the judicial review. Lawyers for SEAT claim the proposed Interconnector is a significant or controversial, cross-cutting issue which should have been referred to the Stormont cabinet.

A spokesperson for Eirgrid conformed that its sister organisation, SONI, will be “dealing” with the judicial review in the North but that preparations in the Republic would continue.

A contract to supply pylons for the North-South Interconnector has been signed with a Turkish company. The supplier will “design, test and ultimately supply” the steel towers for the controversial project following the conclusion of legal challenges in Northern Ireland.

“SONI and EirGrid will also be continuing with landowner and community engagement in relation to construction, compensation and community gain proposals,” said the spokesperson.

“Procurement for materials and construction contractors will also be taking place over the coming months,” they added.

The North East Pylon Pressure Committee (NEPPC) insists this work should not be continuing until the review is complete and all planning conditions met.

Padraig Reilly said: “We have stated over the last two years that the procurement of materials or construction should not commence until the planning conditions are discharged and complied with.”

A discrepancy appears to exist in relation to Eirgrid’s right to access lands to erect pylons.

The Eirgrid spokesperson stated: “Access to lands will be required in order to start construction. This will not take place until the judicial review is finished, the procurement process has run and construction contractors have been appointed.”

In terms of their right to access the necessary lands, Mr Reilly said: “EirGrid and ESB will be following the normal wayleave process, which includes the issuing of notices as in all electricity developments.”

There is a statutory provision within the Electricity Act for accessing land for the purpose of construction and maintaining transmission infrastructure by means of a wayleave notice.

NEPPC however believes that Eirgrid does not have the power to trigger such wayleave notices, which are intended for the ESB.

“The ESB is only a contractor on this. They did not get the approval. They are trying to use the ESB as the company that got the planning approval,” said Mr Reilly on behalf of NEPPC, adding that the group would be challenging any wayleave notices issued.

Among the planning conditions for the project, Eirgrid must submit all access routes to the land to the relevant planning authorities prior to commencing work.

“There are 584 access routes in total required by EirGrid. None of them have been submitted or agreed and yet they are talking about spending millions on material before they have any agreement to go on the land and before they have communicated any of these routes to a single farmer,” said Mr Reilly.