EirGrid reveals corridor for power line

EirGrid reveals corridor for power line


Áine Ryan

AMONG the largest infrastructural schemes to be developed in the west of Ireland in recent years, EirGrid has now revealed the preferred route corridor for its high-capacity power line which will link north Mayo to a strong point on the national line. The proposed one-kilometre wide corridor will start north-west of Moygownagh , proceed west of Ballina, east of Foxford and Swinford, then south of Charlestown, onto Ballaghaderreen before linking with the existing substation at Flagford near Carrick-on-Shannon.
Narrowed down from 16 options, the new line will involve a €240 million investment in the region. According to EirGrid there has already been ‘huge levels of public engagement’ but there will now be ‘further consultation’ in order to identify the line route within the chosen corridor.    
A statement by the company said: “By connecting the electricity generated by the region’s huge renewable energy resources, the project will facilitate significant job creation and investment as well as contributing to national recovery and growth. The Grid West project is part of EirGrid’s Grid25 plan to upgrade the national grid between now and 2025 to deliver a sustainable, competitive and secure electricity supply to homes, businesses and industries.”
The company will hold five open-days in the coming two weeks and is urging people to further engage with the project. Some people have suggested that such high-power electricity lines should be buried underground.
“This is another important step for the Grid West project as today we have announced the corridor within which we will now seek to locate a new transmission line. During March of this year, we published the Grid West project Stage 1 Report and invited feedback from the public on the different route corridor options. Today we confirm that the option identified as the least constrained corridor in the Stage 1 Report has now become the preferred option. Changes were made to this corridor based on feedback received along with further technical studies, while other feedback will be considered as a line within this corridor is designed over the coming months,” said Sean Meagher, Grid West Project Manager.