Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Updated 4:30pm
STATE-OWNED ELECTRICITY grid operator Eirgrid has confirmed that a proposed overhead power line running from Cork to Kildare will not go ahead.
The company’s €500 million plan to construct a network of pylons carrying high-voltage lines across as many as nine counties had faced consistent criticism from community groups.
An independent panel said earlier today that Eirgrid intends to instead use the current grid infrastructure from Moneypoint in Clare to the greater Dublin area.
New technologies will be used to allow more electricity flow along the existing power network, instead of constructing new overhead or underground lines.
‘Better option’
“The emergence of the new ‘regional option’ means there is now no requirement to proceed with the previously proposed Grid Link 400 kV overhead line,” Fintan Slye, the chief executive of Eirgrid, said in a statement.
“I am very pleased today to confirm that we will now be moving ahead to deliver what I believe is a better option for all concerned,” he said, adding his thanks to those “who took the time to engage with us and provided us with such valuable feedback”.
Minister for Energy Alex White also welcomed the announcement, saying the emergence of an alternative to the Grid Link project is good news for communities living along the original route.
The new plan, he said, “reconciles community concerns about grid infrastructure with the need to maintain sufficient capacity to meet the electricity needs of homes, businesses and communities as cost-effectively as possible”.
The Irish Farmers’ Association, while cautiously welcoming the decision, said Eirgrid should review plans for similar projects in the north east and the west of Ireland.
“Today’s decision by EirGrid must lead to an immediate review of the other electricity infrastructure projects, to ensure the impact on farm families and rural communities is limited,” it said in a statement.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Be back on the agenda after the election. Watch this space.
Not in my backyard
Cork to Kildale. That’s a lot of back yards
I wonder how much Eirgrid spent on the “planning phase” of the project before they decided to scrap it.
Compared to Eirgrid, Irish Water would be considered a highly efficient organisation.
Mmm, controversial plan scrapped before election! As far as high voltage lines under or over the ground, I’d move before I’d live near one. EMF has been shown to elevate significantly incidences of childhood leukaemia. A bit more than mere nimbyism I would say.
It’s never be proved that high voltage electricity causes cancer or increases the chances of cancer
hasn’t been disproven either. would you take the chance with your children’s health
For every paper that says it doesn’t, there’s another one that says it does. Prefer not to be a guinea pig!
it hasn’t been disproved that magic trees don’t exist either…
Then you should cut the power to your home entirely Michelle. There’s just as much electricity buzzing around in the walls as there is in a power line.
Sunshine, such evidence as exists in relation to possible linkages between high voltages power lines and illness suggests that you would need to be living very close indeed to them for any potential ill effect to occur. Most opposition appears to have arisen not from this fear but because of concerns that they would devalue property, interfere with property rights and their exercise and give rise to a blight on the landscape in terms of tourism.
Now Eirgrid appear to be using new technology to run more energy through existing high voltage power lines. A good solution I would have thought assuming it is applicable in every circumstance which it may not be. I presume they have tested the new technology and are satisfied that it will work. Eirgrid is run by engineers so I am pretty confident that know that it will work. A good result. And money saved all around.
There is a huge difference between the electricity buzzing around a house than a 400kv powerline.
You swiped Avina Laaf’s Cat.
There are English studies where villages have been proved to have unusual percentages of leukaemia in and around a certain radius.
The gift lowered the distances that were considered safe before the announcement of proceeding with this project. This did cause concern.
Plus there are legitimate causes for being ‘a blot on the landscape’ for just about all that is left in the south now is tourism and there is a real struggle to keep the little of that going never mind adding to it in order to bring some incomes in down here.
It seems that most of Ireland is closed. It is one of the reasons we have thought to add benefits to many by doing up housing that is empty and adding to it, bringing refugees all over the place to integrate, add skills and try to build up the tiny villages again so that they do not become completely deserted in the nearer rather than further future.
Great news.
People Power Rocks.
This is pathetic spinning. From the get go ex esb employees stated that there was no need for the new pylons. Now aparently they have listened to the people…….The cost to the people was extremely costly and they will rear up their heads again when needed. This is fantastic news but it took allot to get this far.
They just realised that they can raise the voltage on the existing lines, so they now don’t need to spend hundreds of millions of our money to upgrade our network for British wind companies. investing hundreds of millions to stabilise our grid because of problems that are caused by unpredictable wind turbines.
whomever got the brown envelope from the pylon company might have to give it back!
Now why don’t they start protesting about all the ugly electricity poles which blight the whole region?
Or all the ugly fences and roads and road signs and indeed all the ugly bungalows and towns?
Next up…all the ugly TV and radio and internet and phone transmitters.
(Must be great to live back during pre-famine times when Ireland was so untouched and pure).
you forgetting the 90 year old woman and the hassle over her sky dish !!!! dont fall off your high horse sir !!
The poles are wooden and blend In with the trees along the lanes. The ugly (they are) television discs are mostly at back at houses and face inwards in land, they are not noticeable from the lanes and so not by tourists and others going by.
So now we have more electricity going through the one channnel and an extra reliance on that one part of the grid. What happens when that one part of the grid suffers an issue or a shutdown? How resilient is the system to shocks when one channel is so overexposed? Emf = pure bulls**t there is no proof in the world that it causes anything (cue some gobsh*te posting a link to ONE study when there are hundreds against) , eyesore argument = pure bulls**t, there isn’t a country in the world without an electrical network of some standard including pylons. You don’t even notice they’re there. Pure nimby bullsh*t. They’ll love it when esb announce now that the route will be undeserved by their broadband product because the infrastructure wasn’t built thanks to their complaints.
Here here! Someone with sense!
Isn’t it strange how the FG trolls rally in support of expensive and unnecessary capital projects which are abandoned. One might almost suspect they are miffed at vested interests losing out on gravy.
Am I supposed to be an fg troll? Cos that’s laughable mate. Not all of us live our lives based on what a political party tells us to believe. also list of things deserving of capital expenditure in order to build an economy into the future 1: a decent electricity grid. 2:broadband. Two things this thing would have delivered, see above list.
..you mean Not Here, Not Here surely. … ?
Pure politician cowardice more like
@bazhealy Typical bottom line verdict from someone who isn’t going to have a 45 metre pylon built on an elevated site behind the family home; as long as you benefit then to hell with those who have to suffer.
When every single TD has a huge pylon In their faces only a few yards from their homes I will believe they are aesthetically pleasing and, no risk at all to health.
Seems the future is underground cabling. Yet, when something goes wrong with an underground cable it can take a lot longer to find it, dig it up, and repair it,
Yeah, but there’s much less likelihood of problems with underground cables as they’re not exposed to inclement weather conditions.
My brother in law cut off the electricity to his whole village digging a hole with a JCB. He was working to maps provided by the ESB, which purported to showed where the underground cables were, but they were incorrect. He was very lucky he was completely unhurt.
Buy yeah, underground seems to be better all round – apart from the usual cost issue.
There are huge pipes u see ground that have a sort of manhole every so,often that gives access via a ladder into pipe. The pipe is big enough to stand in or at least sit and roll. All pipes, gas. Electric, water, broadband etc. Go down this one route and so is accessible and all, services pay the same for maintenance etc..
Future is underground cabling? My arse. All well and good until there’s a fault & they have to dig to find it. Restore service in days not hours. Also, how do you know where there’s national electric cable near your newly purchased home? You really think the cosmic cancer rays (or whatever the crazies claim the power cables bring) go away when you bury it?
Shower of f*cking nimbys!!!
what difference does it make if they can do the same job without destroying the countryside with unnecessary pylons. sometimes the world needs NIMBYs to stop big business riding roughshod over Joe public!
I’m sure the government managed to spend at least 30 million lining some pockets before scrapping this. That’s what friends are for!
Delighted this is not going ahead. This would of been disastrous for the wildlife
How?
Explain?
Should we ban domestic cats as well? They kill way more birds per year!
Them birds should learn to watch where they’re going like the rest of us.
What about the number of birds that are killed by wind turbines? Never a mention of that by the renewable energy nature fans!
The cats still win Martin
There is no longer a demand for extra capacity in the network because subsidies for wind power in UK are no longer available, this was always about wind subsidy, Esb networks were happy with construction of unnecessary pylons at the tax payer so they could reap the cash reward in their tax free shares. Nimby too Fcking right I am
Remind us how much was spent on this plan before it was “shelved”?
I suspect the Eirgrid ruse was about to be revealed. Eirgrid proposed to build a very expensive and unnecessary piece of infrastructure which would in time have handsomely paid them by through transmission use of system charges. Akin to NRA building toll roads and forcing use to use them.
We should ban donestic cats. It’s amazing how much cats do kill
Until after the election…
Over the moon thanks to this news!
have your say