EirGrid Chief’s comments a ploy – Weir

EirGrid Chief’s comments a ploy – Weir


Ciara Galvin

FORMER Fine Gael councillor Seamus Weir has said he is ‘very wary’ of Eirgrid Chief Executive Fintan Slye’s latest comments on the controversial construction of high-voltage power lines.
Mr Slye said alternative underground proposals should not have been dismissed at an early stage of planning, and that both over and underground options would be considered for all projects currently being proposed. Slye went on to admit that the national grid operator could have done things better in its planning.
Asked by The Mayo News yesterday (Monday) if he welcomed Mr Slye’s honesty, Cllr Weir said he was wary of the Chief Executives comments and was wary that it was an election ploy by the Government.
“Is this Government tricks again coming up to election time, Eirgrid stepping back until after [elections]? I still have reservations,” said Weir.
Cllr Weir went on to say that if he believed Mr Slye’s comments it would be ‘great’ but that he believed it was a ‘an election stunt’.
“If they were truthful it would be great news. They’ll tell people more lies again. People are waiting, they don’t believe what’s happening,” he said.
Speaking in relation to a recent meeting held in Trim about the controversial EirGrid projects, Weir said a number of experts informed those in attendance that up to 20km of a 100km line could be undergrounded and that an expert on Electromagnetic Fields [invisible areas of energy associated with the use of electrical power] informed them of the effects of these fields on animals and discussed health risks from these fields.
In a statement earlier this month EirGrid said it was committed to monitoring the latest research and developments in relation to EMF and public health and welcomed the review conducted by the Scientific Committee assembled by the European Commission.
The Committee reported that new epidemiology studies do not shed light on a previously reported association with childhood leukaemia.