Eirgrid review methods to restore trust with communities

Eirgrid has announced that it is “committing to improving the organisation’s approach to public consultation in the future”.
The company, which is planning to erect pylon interconnectors through the east of the county - the closest urban area is Kingscourt, starting in Meath and going to Tyrone - and says that it has completed a “comprehensive” review of their consultation process for “grid development projects”.
The company said four reviews were carried out, highlighting the importance of “engagement with the public”: of public feedback; of international best practice in public consultation; an independent external expert review carried out by SLR Consulting Limited; and another by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
The review found that while significant consultation measures had been undertaken by Eirgrid, changes are required to improve the process for future engagement to ensure that it is in line with international best practice.
As a result, “Eirgrid is committing to improving the organisation’s approach to public consultation in the future.”
The public will be given the opportunity to comment on the approach until the 30th of January 2015.
Details of how to comment are provided on the Eirgrid website. Fintan Slye, Chief executive, Eirgrid, said: “Our primary goal is to restore trust and enable greater participation in the decision-making process as part of future consultations.
“The commitments require a change within EirGrid, and we are fully committed to achieving this as quickly as possible.
“We believe this is critical if we are to deliver the grid, on behalf of all electricity users, to meet the needs of people, communities, businesses, the economy and society overall now and in the future.”