North South Interconnector faces 'years of opposition if it's not undergrounded'

Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín has called on the Government to "do the right thing by communities" and underground the North South Interconnector. Speaking after the latest expert review panel published its findings Deputy Tóibín stated his party, Aontú supported a North South Interconnector and an All Ireland energy market but only if its undergrounded.

An independent review of the planned North South Interconnector has found that the only viable option for the project to proceed with is to use overhead pylons.

This review released by Government this evening accepts the findings of previous reports including the 2018 Expert Commission that indicated that the North South Interconnector should be constructed as planned as an overhead line.

The North-South Interconnector Project Independent Experts Review which commenced in 2021 distilled five options down to two realistic options - an underground High Voltage (400kv) DC (HVDC) interconnection and the overhead High Voltage AC (HVAC) cable.

The Review concluded that undergrounding or embedding the HVDC cable would delay commissioning of the Interconnector by at least five years and would add approximately €120m of additional costs compared with the currently planned AC Overhead Line (OVL).

"The Commission’s own estimate of the extra capital cost of an embedded High Voltage DC line (HVDC) for a North-South interconnection compared with the planned 400kV OHL is €270m giving an estimated total extra cost of €390m."

Reacting to the findings Deputy Toibin said: "The southern Government and the administration in the north seek to construct 409 pylons, up to 51 metres high, caring 400,000 volts through Meath, Cavan and Monaghan, Armagh and Tyrone. Shockingly there will be a minimum distance of 13 metres to homes allowed”.

“There are significant real fears with regards threats to health. There are fears with regards damage to value of homes, farms and business. The tourism, agriculture, the blood stock industry will all be significantly affected”.

“97 per cent of landowners, law abiding citizens, have said that they will oppose Eirgrid coming on to their land and building this interconnector. So despite 15 years and millions of euro spent the policy of the government to ignore the will of the people puts the whole project at an impasse”.

“This latest report cannot claim to be independent. Its remit was to study EirGrid’s conclusions and recommendations. EirGrid ruled out undergrounding from 2007. This report did not accept any submissions from anyone in the communities along the curtilage”.

“Interestingly the report states that complexity of undergrounding “can now be managed”. Indeed the report points to a large number of projects all over Europe that are now using this exact technology. EirGrid themselves are looking to underground a similar project between Meath and Kildare. Their approach to this project is significantly different to the North South Interconnector. In this project they are accepting a full cost benefit analysis including the shocking impact on the communities along the line of the project”.

"The Government and the administration in the north must now listen to the people and underground this project."

NOW READ: Review states North South Interconnector should proceed as an overhead line

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Climate Action, Communications and Transport, Darren O'Rourke TD, says the latest review into the North-South Interconnector (NSIC) was a waste of time and money.

The Meath East TD called on Government and Eirgrid to 'wake up' and to, for once and for all, engage with local communities to deliver the NSIC project in a way that is acceptable to people.

Speaking following the publication of the review last evening, Teachta O'Rourke said:

"This review was flawed from the very outset. It was the review that nobody ever asked for. It was a waste of time and money.

"The fact that, more than a decade and a half on, we still don't have an independent comparative cost-benefit-analysis of the overground versus underground options, taking account of the full economic, environmental and social impact of this project, is a damning indictment of Eigrid and successive governments, and proof-positive of their enduring belligerence. Is it any wonder that communities are so exercised?!

"Despite the review's obvious weaknesses and subsequent spin from Government and Eirgrid, it does point to the fact that undergrounding is technically and operationally feasible. On page 33, it says:

'On this matter, the IEC2021 believes, also based on the outcomes of technical studies carried on in this decade on NSIC itself and on other projects, that this complexity can now be managed, given the advancements in VSC technology, increase of commissioned VSC applications and operational experiences worldwide.’

"The issue of cost comparison is most appropriately assessed by independent cost-benefit-analysis, but it's clear that undergrounding is increasingly competitive in recent years. Indeed, undergrounding was the best option for the Meath-Kildare line.

"We know, too, that Eirgrid is, at last, looking more favourably at undergrounding in recognition of the need for grid expansion at pace and scale in the time ahead and, of course, for the need for community acceptance. This is spelled out in their Shaping Our Electricity Future document and their engagements with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) on this matter generally were reported on recently.

"The exception, however, is the North-South Interconnector. It is a completely outrageous situation. The Government - Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens, and their representatives locally - and Eirgrid, need to wake up on this.

"For once and for all they need to engage with local communities to find a way forward to deliver this project in a way that is acceptable. A solution is possible. It is clear that the community and its representatives in NEPPC are willing to play their part. Government and Eirgrid must step up and do the same."

More to follow...