Sir, – Three main issues have arisen in the case of Teresa Treacy: the cost of undergrounding; environmental matters and the rule of law.
Cost of undergrounding: Information on the EirGrid website estimates the purchase cost of 110kV underground cables and all accessories at €285,000 per kilometre. The enabling civil engineering works to bury them could easily and accurately be calculated by any quantity surveyor. Even if the final figure was three or four times greater than overhead it would still only be a minuscule increase on the overall project. ESB/EirGrid should publish the cost difference as a percentage of the overall project.
Environmental: there was no requirement to undertake an environmental impact study on this power line as it was submitted to the local authority prior to the 2006 Infrastructure Act, which now includes all power lines of 110kV and higher. This type of power line is now subjected to the full rigour of European environmental legislation with regard to an environmental impact statement and in all probability a full oral hearing by An Bord Pleanála. There was no public forum for Ms Treacy to have her objections and concerns aired in a transparent manner. In this regard the system failed to properly investigate the environmental issues at the heart of this dispute.
Rule of law: whatever one’s views on the issue that the overall common good must take precedence over the rights of a few, it is undeniable that while Ms Treacy’s incarceration in prison may be lawful, it is certainly not just.
Finally, EirGrid proposes to build 1,150 kilometres of very high power lines throughout the country as part of its Grid25 project, all mostly 400kV on massive steel pylons and not wooden poles as is mainly the case here.
One must wonder how many landowners like Ms Treacy are out there who will also be willing to go to jail to protect their rights and property? This is a matter which must be given very serious consideration by EirGrid. – Yours, etc,