Appeal for skills, volunteers at Grid Link meeting

Whichever of the suggested routes of the Grid Link project is chosen, it 'will have a major affect on Kilcullen', a large attendance at last night's meeting in the Community Centre heard, writes Brian Byrne.

The event was organised by the Grid Link Action Group (GAG), set up after a recent meeting in St Laurence's Community Centre in Narraghmore. It was chaired by Pat Higgins, who led the Usk & District Residents Association (UDRA) nine-year campaign against the development of a 'superdump' operation in their area.

Meeting chairman Pat Higgins (right) with John Dunne.

The €500m Grid Link planned by EirGrid will run a 400kV line from Cork to Dunstown outside Kilcullen, via Wexford. Following the first stage of a lengthy process, a number of suggested routes have been presented for public comment.

The GAG organisation says it represents concerns about impacts on health, environment and business by the proposed overhead line, and maintains that EirGrid is not prepared to look at alternative methods of bulk electricity transmission, including undergrounding of the cables.

John Dunne of Gormanstown, described as representing a Kilcullen area view at the meeting, said it was up to all those there to 'bring the word home' so that everybody in the town and district is aware of what is taking place. Also a key member of UDRA, he said that what faced Kilcullen now was very similar to what the very small Usk community was faced with more than a decade ago.

He said the main purpose of the meeting was to inform Kilcullen people about the project, and the need for them to complete Grid Link Feedback Forms by the November 26 deadline.

GAG strategist David O'Brien with Declan King and Adrian Behan.

David O'Brien, described as GAG's strategist, outlined how the organisation had been formed, mainly based around the Narraghmore and south county area. He said that 'different people seemed to have heard different messages' about the Grid Link project, and the Group had come together to deal with that.

He claimed that EirGrid had a deliberate policy of trying to 'split communities' by selecting numerous routes for the Grid Link, and that GAG wanted to make sure that this didn't happen. "The other thing we don't want to see are impacts on people's health, damage to the environment, the heritage, and people's livelihoods."

David O'Brien also noted that while EirGrid maintains there are no health issues with the proposal, there are nevertheless concerns at EU level about possible links of extremely low frequency (ELF) electrical and magnetic radiation with childhood leukemia and Alzheimer's. He said that EirGrid 'needs to stand up and answer those questions'.

He added that consideration has to be given to the effects of the project on generations to come, and how it might impact on tourism, business, and the bloodstock industry. And he argued that not considering alternatives such as undergrounding or the use of offshore transmission showed a 'piecemeal' attitude to bulk transport of electricity by the authorities, rather than looking at the subject as a whole.

Landowners in the suggested 'corridors' for Grid Link had pledged financial support for the campaign, he said, and part of GAG's work would be to fundraise to allow the use of experts in the preparation of submissions. He appealed for anyone in Kilcullen with specific skills in planning, engineering, legal, land & property and communications to join in the campaign. "And even if you don't have any of those skills, we need volunteers. Working together as a team we can do something going forward."

Signing in.

GAG has established links with action groups in Carnew, Baltinglass, Rathvilly and Shillelagh and is continuing to make contact with other groups.

The meeting was also addressed by environmentalist Jack O'Sullivan, who had assisted the UDRA campaign against Greenstar. He said that there was a question over whether such a big piece of infrastructure for electricity was even required, suggesting that a 'smart grid' policy where there were a large number of small producers of power from various sources all over the country might be a better option. "EirGrid is proposing a single enormous wire," he said. "If anything happens to that, it all breaks down."

On the differences of scientific opinion on the health effects of ELF radiation, he said 'you have to be careful where you get your information'. "It can affect some people, and not others. It can affect some livestock in a field and not others. There are clearly uncertainties about the effects, but where there are concerns about health, and effects on people's businesses and livelihoods, then the precautionary principle must be applied."



Matters raised in the question and answer session of the meeting included whether undergrounding the cable might have a worse effect on livestock in the area, whether running the cables along land that's already part of the motorway system might be a better option, and how the project could have a devaluation impact on land neighbouring that where the lines run.

An Open Day will be held in mid-November to assist people in formulating their submissions. But Pat Higgins warned against submitting generic-style feedback, which wouldn't be useful. "They must be individual," he said. "Don't put in uniform submissions, put in your own feelings, your fears." And he urged the community to be united on the issue, regardless of which route is chosen.