Independent pylon review seen as ‘cynical move’

Power-line study branded a ‘cynical move’


Ciara Galvin

THE establishment of a study into the feasibility of the undergrounding of the controversial EirGrid power lines has been described as a ‘cynical move’ by one protest group.
With the announcement of a review into the potential undergrounding of EirGrid’s GridWest and GridLink projects, a spokesperson for one Mayo anti-pylon group has said that the move was made by the Government to save themselves in the upcoming local elections.
Eddie Farrell from the Knockmore and Moygownagh/Kilfian Community and Landscape Protection Groups said the recent resignation of Cllr Seamus Weir from the Fine Gael party has ‘shaken it up a bit’.
Mr Farrell said though the group felt that the people assigned to the Government review group were ‘very respected people’, they felt there is a need for a wider skills base of people in the group. Farrell added that the most important question that should be looked at was if the powerline was needed at all.
Mayo Fianna FΡil TD Dara Calleary dismissed the new review of EirGrid’s pylon plans in Mayo and Roscommon as ‘nothing more than a political stunt’.
Deputy Calleary said the study, announced by the Minister for Energy Pat Rabbitte last week, is not fully independent, does not include a health expert and does not go far enough.
“All this does is push the issue down the road a few months for political gain. This is more about getting the Government parties through the local elections than listening to the serious concerns of people across Mayo and Roscommon,” said Deputy Calleary.
Mr Calleary said that while he welcomed the appointment of the panel, he said it was ‘extremely disappointing’ that the Government stopped short of a fully independent study.
“Instead of bringing in outside experts to carry out a feasibility study of moving the Grid West power lines underground, EirGrid is carrying out the study. Why can’t this be done independently?,” asked Calleary.
The Deputy went on to question why there was no health expert on the panel, adding that this was particularly worrying as the Minister for Health himself raised concerns about the health implications of high voltage power lines.
A spokesperson for EirGrid said electro-magnetic fields (EMF) will not fall under the remit of the expert panel but that the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan will seek expert assistance to review and report on international developments, since 2007, on any potential health effects of electro-magnetic fields emanating from transmission grid infrastructure.
In 2007, an Expert Group established by the then Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources published a report on ‘Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields’. The forthcoming review will bring that 2007 report up to date, according to the spokesperson.

Damage condemned
Meanwhile, the Knockmore Action Against Pylons Committee has condemned acts of vandalism at the EirGrid GridWest information office on Bury Street, Ballina where windows were damaged last week.
Windows were damaged at the office on the night of January 28 and 29 last. A statement issued by the group states that it was confident that no one from its movement would do such a thing and said the group condemns the actions.
“Our protests, be they outside the Fine Gael Election Convention or the EirGrid office, have been conducted peacefully and with dignity, with due regard to respecting the person of those who do not hold our views and those who have to go about earning an honest living, working for agencies involved with Grid 25.”
The group went on to state that it hoped gardaí were making progress on the matter and that the group would no longer be holding any more protests outside the GridWest office.
An EirGrid spokesperson said the glass has since been replaced in the windows and they are liaising with gardaí in their investigation.