Warning overground power lines will undermine land prices

PROPOSED cross-Border electricity transmission lines should go underground but the Department of Communications is insisting on using "ultra-high voltage overhead lines and giant pylon towers", an Oireachtas committee has heard.

A delegation from the North East Pylon Pressure (NEPP) campaign complained to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources that the option of "undergrounding" the North/South interconnector had not been considered by the department.

"It failed to examine progressive methods for transmitting this electricity from west to east, and has instead defaulted to the antiquated mode of using ultra-high voltage overhead lines and giant pylon towers," NEPP spokesman Padraig O'Reilly said.

Mr O'Reilly warned that proceeding with an overground project could devalue land and property by €500 million and would involve substantial compensation. He claimed people had concerns about the possible health impact of the project.

Mr O'Reilly said NEPP had commissioned and paid for a report from Askon Consulting, examining the feasibility of "undergrounding" the interconnector, which was presented to the committee.

Fine Gael TD for Cavan-Monaghan Seymour Crawford said Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan had made it clear that he saw overground as the only option.

"We've obviously still got a major argument to make to convince Government and advisers that underground is the way forward."

A spokeswoman for the Minster later said he had been informed by independent consultants that "undergrounding" was not now technically feasible for this project.

Referring to the "undergrounding" proposal, Liz McManus of Labour said: "This has never been done before. To ask us to take that leap is quite a challenging idea."

She said she was pleased that nobody was arguing against the development of electricity infrastructure. "We have a very great job of work to do in terms of developing our grid."

Ms McManus said the fact that the Askon Consulting report had been sponsored by a local organisation was very important.

However, Fianna Fail deputy Brendan Kenneally said he always took reports commissioned by lobby groups with a pinch of salt.

"I've never seen one come out with findings different from what the lobby group wanted."