Eirgrid say under-grounding of GridWest project is option

Undergrounding an option says EirGrid


Ciara Galvin

AS pressure mounts across the county for EirGrid to underground its power lines the company has come out saying it will consider putting the controversial lines underground.
Up to now the company stated that the undergrounding was not an option due to the ‘functional size of the system’. That was according to Project Manager of the Grid West project SeΡn Maher recently. Mr Maher said ‘It has to be overhead line, there is no other solution’. Senior company executives told the Sunday Independent last week that the final decision on whether the lines would go under or over ground would be left to the planning authorities and said that they had no problem with the project going underground.
Eirgrid also admitted that it had not attended any of the meetings taking place across the country in opposition to the project, despite requests to do so. A number of groups have set up along the 100 kilometer route from Moygownagh, in north Mayo, to Flagford, near Carrick-on-Shannon.
Groups have invited EirGrid to explain the decision to install the power lines over ground and to answer questions regarding concerns of health risks resulting from the lines.
At the most recent monthly meeting of Ballina Town Council members agreed to write to An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister Pat Rabbitte calling on them to intervene in the proposed GridWest Project and to direct EirGrid to change their current strategy of installing overhead power lines in north Mayo.
Meanwhile, FΡilte Ireland has expressed concern about the impact of overhead pylons on certain key tourism assets and amenities.
In reply to a parliamentary question from Fianna FΡil Deputy Dara Calleary, the tourism body said the landscape and cultural heritage of certain sites in the vicinity of proposed Pylons ‘could potentially be at risk’.
Deputy Calleary said FΡilte Ireland expressing its concerns about the threat posed by overhead pylons is ‘significant’.