Laying of cables in Swinford to be completed before Christmas

THE laying of cables in Swinford as part of a major upgrade of Connacht’s energy infrastructure will commence in August and take eight to ten weeks to complete.

Members of Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District were told that work on the North Connacht interconnector will commence in Swinford next month after the conclusion of the Siamsa Sráide festival.

When complete, the North Connacht 110 kV Project will run from Moy Substation in Ballina to Tonroe Substation in Co Roscommon and will add five gigawatts of renewable energy to the grid - enough to power 200,000 houses.

A 100-metre section at Davitt Place is to be completed before schools reopen.

The remaining 800 metres of cable will then be laid over an eight- to ten-week period. This will single lane road closures in Swinford to minimise traffic disruption.

Paul Doherty, Project Manager with the ESB, said works will take place from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 5pm on Saturdays.

Replying to a query from Cllr Adrian Forkan, Mr Doherty said the work would ‘absolutely’ be finished before Christmas.

Ducting of a section less than one kilometre long, from the courthouse and out the Kilkelly Road, is currently taking place.

Conrad Harley, Senior Executive Engineer with Mayo County Council, thanked Eirgrid for their ‘very sensitive and pragmatic approach’ to the project.

Cllr Damien Ryan, Cathaoirleach of the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District, also praised the cooperation between various agencies, saying it had minimised the level of disruption from the project.