Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 April 2014
385. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when the terms of reference for the McGuinness commission will be agreed; when the committee will report back; and if Eirgrid's planning application for Eirgrid 25 will be delayed or if it considered still possible to meet the original timeframe. [17394/14]
View answerOn 28 January last, I announced that I had appointed an Independent Expert Panel, chaired by Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness, to decide terms of reference for comprehensive, route-specific studies of overhead and underground options for both the Grid Link and Grid West projects. The outputs from those studies, which will be required to be complete, objective and comparable, will be published before proceeding to the next stage of public consultation on those two projects. The two studies will take account of environmental (including visual amenity) impacts, technical efficacy and cost factors. The independent panel will have power to commission its own work if there is any perceived deficiency in the studies presented. Additionally, I have asked the Panel to consider what, if anything, it can do regarding the North South Transmission Line project. The Panel has commenced its deliberations and is scheduled to hold its next meeting in the first week of May. I understand that the Panel expects to be in a position to announce the terms of reference for the Panel itself, as well as the terms of reference for the Grid Link and Grid West transmission line projects shortly after that meeting. Development of the high voltage electricity grid as planned in the EirGrid Grid25 strategy is critical to Ireland's 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 timing of the submission of planning applications in respect of individual projects under the Grid25 strategy to An Bord Pleanála is a matter for EirGrid.
