A reply to my email from Pat Rabbitte today (my original email at the very end of post). Youll note the very much hands off attitiude about the whole project - Eirgrid are free to do as they please and government intervention is not on the cards basically. Plus the comment My Department has no responsibility in respect of the matter of potential health effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) which became the responsibility of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from 1 May 2007, i.e. Minister Phil Hogans domain. Ref: GG 2013 130 / ECD130 Dear Ms Griffin, Thank you for your recent correspondence concerning the Gridlink Development. Development of the high voltage electricity grid as planned in the EirGrid Grid25 strategy is critical to Irelands economic and social development. Ensuring secure reliable and safe supplies of electricity is critical to Ireland’s ability to attract inward investment and retain and create jobs. The €500m Gridlink project, which is part of EirGrid’s Grid25 plan to upgrade the national transmission system between now and 2025, is a new high-capacity power line linking Knockraha, County Cork to Great Island, County Wexford to Dunstown, near Kilcullen, County Kildare, ensuring a reliable and high quality electricity supply for homes, farms and businesses in the south and east region for the future. Without this project, the grid in the south and east of Ireland would not be sufficient to meet the region’s future electricity needs. The project will facilitate both conventional generation and renewable energy projects and will enable Ireland to meet its 40% renewable electricity target, while also reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels. It will reinforce the grid in Leinster and Munster and support future interconnection with grids outside of Ireland. It is a significant upgrade of the electricity grid across the south and east and is the largest project under the Grid25 programme. I am aware that many people are concerned about the impact that new transmission lines and other energy infrastructure can have on the landscape, the environment and on local communities. Accordingly, it is essential that Grid 25 and other energy infrastructure are taken forward on the basis of the best available knowledge and informed engagement on the impacts and costs of different engineering solutions. Neither the Government nor I seek to direct the energy infrastructure developers to particular sites or routes or technologies as was made clear in the July 2012 Government Policy Statement on the Strategic Importance of Transmission and Other Energy Infrastructure. That statement emphasises that these are matters for the developers and for the forward planning process through regional and local development plans and at project level through the development management process. In this context, energy infrastructure developers are encouraged to work with the forward planning processes at regional and local levels to set clear contexts for assessment of individual applications for planning consent and to facilitate as wide a degree of consensus as possible as to how and where to meet grid development needs. The Government, as detailed in the July 2012 Policy Statement expects the companies in making their choices of project specific technologies and routing, as well as mitigation measures, to take account of all relevant national and international standards, to follow best practice and ensure value for money and be informed by detailed consultation at local level. In addition to undertaking extensive statutory and non-statutory public consultation, the State Companies and energy developers must adhere to national and international standards on health, environment, biodiversity, landscape and safety as an intrinsic part of the Planning process. Compliance together with appropriate impact mitigation measures are central to the Environmental Impact Assessments which form the basis of planning applications to An Bord Pleanála. My understanding is that there is no single ‘right’ solution for any particular development and that technical solutions must be project specific. I also understand that conventional overhead line is still the most common solution adopted worldwide and still offers significantly lower investment costs than any underground alternative. However, I note that cost data is changing and costs estimates are always uncertain, which emphasises the need for the project specific solutions. Gridlink is being undertaken in accordance with EirGrid’s Project Development and Consultation Roadmap, as are all projects under Grid25. The Roadmap is a five stage approach to the project. The timescale for stages 1 to 4 is three years. All stages include opportunities for public feedback including the final stage which is subject to the full planning process of An Bord Pleanála. Currently the Gridlink project is at Stage 1 of the roadmap. Stage 1 is the information gathering stage and the Project Stage 1 Report was published by EirGrid on 3rd September 2013. The report identifies a number of route corridor options for the new line, and will inform the public consultation process. EirGrid are encouraging interested parties to make submissions by 5pm, Tuesday November 26th. The earlier submissions are received the more opportunity the project team will have to evaluate all the corridor options, which is a long process. However EirGrid will continue to accept feedback and engage with stakeholders after the 26th of November, by phone, post, email or in person at one of their information centres in Kilcullen, Carlow, New Ross, Carrick-on-Suir and Midleton. It is important to note that no decision has been made yet on the final route for the line. There are several route corridor options and public consultation is the best way for people to influence the next phase of the project, which is the identification of the least constrained corridor within which the power line can be routed. Maps of potential routes have been compiled and can be viewed in the Project Stage 1 report. Factors such as Population Density, Visibility, Biodiversity, Water Catchment Areas and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty all affect the constraint of the corridors being considered. I am aware that the EirGrid project team briefs and updates County Councils, Town Councils, Chambers of Commerce and other local organisations and national and local politicians regularly and have done so since the launch of the project in April 2012. The company welcomes observations and views in relation to the Gridlink Project which is still at an early stage. I would encourage members of the public and stakeholders to participate in the consultation process, as such participation makes for better project implementation overall. My Department has no responsibility in respect of the matter of potential health effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) which became the responsibility of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from 1 May 2007. I am, however, aware that Ireland has taken a precautionary approach on this issue and adopted international guidelines for exposure to electromagnetic radiation developed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. These guidelines are set at levels which are many times less than the experimental levels at which no adverse effects have been established. Ireland has also participated in the work of the International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety, which sets standards in this area. I am satisfied that EirGrid’s consultation process to date has been open and transparent and that the company continues to operate to the highest international standards. I trust that this is satisfactory. Yours sincerely, Pat Rabbitte, T.D. Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources From: Sinead Griffin Sent: 12 November 2013 23:02 To: [email protected]; Minister Rabbitte Subject: For your consideration https://facebook/permalink.php?story_fbid=595675527171466&id=562220677183618 Yours sincerely, A concerned citizen directly affected by the proposed GridLink project. Mother of 20 month boy & 6 months pregnant with my second child. Now consider your comments afresh having read the following article. rte.ie/news/2013/1106/484979-eirgrid-laois/ Sinead Griffin
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 22:53:07 +0000
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