Dropping of pylons project welcomed

The news that Eirgrid is dropping the plan to build a new 400 kV overhead power line system from Cork to Dunstown near Kilcullen has been welcomed by two local representatives, writes Brian Byrne.

Deputy Martin Heydon said he is delighted that the overground option has now 'finally been removed from the debate'. "It will be a huge relief to all residents in the areas affected," he said in a statement.

Cllr Fiona O'Loughlin, who has recently been selected to run for Fianna Fail in the next General Election, paid credit to communities across the county who had fought proposals for more pylons, which would have been 'hideous structures dominating the landscape'. "These communities are to be congratulated for their persistence," she said.

An Independent Expert Panel studied the options for the Grid Link project, and as a result EirGrid decided to use the so-called 'Regional Option' for a technology that allows more power to flow through existing high tension electricity lines.

The option will require the provision of an underwater cable across the Shannon, and some upgrade work to the existing transmission lines, according to Fintan Slye, chief executive,

Anti-pylon group collecting signatures

Niall Moore and Margaret Moore of the anti-pylon GridLink Action Group are collecting signatures on a petition in the Fraser Filling Station today, related to the review of the County Development Plan by county councillors.

They have around 1,000 signatures so far, and have a target of 5,000 before the end of next week.

KCC votes for variation on development plan, re energy transmission

The Grid Link Action Group has welcomed the news that Kildare County Council has voted in favour of varying the County Development Plan (CDP) with regard to transmission infrastructure, service providers and energy facilities.

Grid Link Action Group lobbied strongly over recent months on transmission infrastructure, in particular pylons and overhead lines, and acknowledges the support councillors and county management have given to this — in particular councillors Martin Miley Jnr, Mark Wall and Ivan Keatley.

The process will now allow members of the public to have their say on this section of the CDP. The Public Consultation period will run for a limited period, and it is expected that the closing date for submissions will be 4 June.

Kieran Connor, Chairman of the Grid Link Action Group urges all Kildare residents, as well as those from further afield who have an interest in this issue, to make a submission to Kildare County Council about the variation to the CDP. “It’s not enough to think that someone else will do it for you. If we do not act now then what legacy will we be leaving for our children and future generations," he says.

Over the coming weeks Grid Link Action Group will host a number of workshops throughout the county to inform people of relevant issues and how they might go about completing a meaningful submission. Further information on these workshops will be released on the group’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gridlinkactiongroup.

To find out more information, visit the Grid Link Action Group’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gridlinkactiongroup or email gridlinkactiongroup@gmail.com.

Pylons public meeting tonight

The Gridlink Action Group is holding a public meeting in St Laurence's GAA Centre tonight.

GAG is an alliance of people and groups opposed to Eirgrid's plans to erect pylons linking Dunstown in Kilcullen with Cork.

The meeting begins at 8.30pm.

Pylons meeting planned

Another public meeting on the pylons issue has been arranged by the Grid Link Action Group, writes Brian Byrne.

It's scheduled for April 9, at 8.30pm in the St Laurence's GAA Centre.

All interested are welcome to attend.

EirGrid submissions deadline extended

EirGrid has extended the deadline for submissions on the Grid-Link project until 5pm on January 7 2014, writes Brian Byrne.

The deadline had been due to expire today, but yesterday afternoon the company announced the extension, which a spokesperson told the Diary was in order to 'accommodate the large amount of recent interest in the project'.

The plan to use pylons to carry the 400kV line from Cork to Kilcullen via Wexford has raised strong objections, with a number of protest groups being formed along the suggested routes which are currently under discussion.

According to recent reports, EirGrid is also to 'consider' the possibility of undergrounding the line, following intense lobbying by community and political groupings.

The €500m Grid-Link is part of a nationwide programme to substantially upgrade the national electricity infrastructure.

Call for power line undergrounding cost/benefit study

A call for a full cost/benefit analysis of undergrounding options for the EirGrid 400kV power line to be run from Cork and Wexford to Kilcullen has been made by Kildare South FG TD Martin Heydon, writes Brian Byrne.

Deputy Heydon made the request to Energy minister Pat Rabitte TD in the Dail last night. He noted that five overground options have been shown by EirGrid to date, but undergrounding has been dismissed as 'too expensive'.

"If it is far more expensive, and technically much more difficult to do, why not do a full open analysis on it to prove that case to the public?" Deputy Heydon said, adding the question if full account of the financial impact that there may be on Ireland's tourism industry, does that factor in the financial cost of the devaluation of individual properties?

Concern on heritage sites and pylons route

A decision not to put in a submission on behalf of Kilcullen Community Action relating to the proposed Grid Link routes was made at the recent meeting of KCA, writes Brian Byrne.

It was felt that individual submissions on the Feedback to EirGrid would be more useful.

A discussion on the matter ranged through the various current objection themes on health, amenity and property values, but the main concerns heard related to the possibility that the route would take the pylons through or close to the heritage sites at Dun Ailinne and Old Kilcullen.

Dun Ailinne is on a list of sites in Ireland being considered at present for classification as UNESCO World Heritage status.

The closing date for submissions is 26 November.

Viewpoint: Let's not forget the vision

During the recent water crisis at Ballymore Eustace Treatment Plant, we in Kilcullen were spared cuts in supply thanks to the newly commissioned water source from the River Barrow in Athy, writes Brian Byrne. Kildare County Council was able to increase the proportion of Barrow water in the mix with Liffey water at the Old Kilcullen reservoir which has been the operational case since the middle of summer. This had the knock-on effect of allowing more of whatever was being treated at Ballymore to be sent onwards to the capital.

This was thanks to the foresight of Council planners who pushed through this project in the last decade and a half. But it wasn't without objectors at the time, and though a much more localised infrastructural plan, the process raised hackles in a similar way to the M9 motorway scheme some years later, and to what's happening now in terms of the EirGrid Grid Link proposal.

It wasn't without objectors at the timeWhen the Barrow Abstraction plan was presented to Kildare's councillors in October 2001, Kildare's expected water needs were to increase by 46 percent over the next nine years and by 73 percent by 2020. Senator John Dardis and Deputy Emmet Stagg (both also councillors at the time) were against the proposal, saying that water could be piped from the River Shannon to meet the needs of Dublin and Kildare. Carlow's local representatives were also concerned, saying that the abstraction would seriously affect tourism in the Barrow basin. Cllrs Joe McDonald and Mary White said boat operators and anglers could have their livelihoods interfered with if the plan went ahead.

The North Barrow Branch of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland also formally objected in 2003, but subsequently withdrew the objection following sight of a navigation survey commissioned on behalf of KCC by Tobin Consulting Engineers. Tobin interacted with the Barrow Steering Group of 21 member bodies, including the IWAI, five hydropower operators, nine commercial barge operators, seven owners of fishery rights, and 765 land owners. None of the member bodies proceeded with their objections, and all individual objectors were communicated with during the various stages of the consultation.

In December 2003, Kildare County Council received permission from An Bord Pleanala to go ahead with the proposal, and the official Order for the scheme was made in 2005. In April 2011, a 20-year contract was signed with Veolia Water to design, build and manage the automated plant. The €45m scheme went into operation in mid-July of this year and will serve south Kildare with some 31 megalitres of water a day when fully operational. During the recent water difficulties, flow to Old Kilcullen was boosted to 20 megalitres a day to ease dependence on the Ballymore Eustace supply.

For sure, there are unwelcome visible effects of the new supply in Kilcullen and, presumably, the rest of the area served by the scheme. Kettles are furring, and caffeine stains on tea and coffee cups are much more difficult to clean. There are noticeable changes in the effects of soap and shampoo, and the taste of the water is not nearly as good as it has been for generations used to the softer Liffey source. However, KCC is working to fix that by installing a water-softening system at the Barrow plant, which will be in operation by this time next year. In the meantime, the Old Kilcullen reservoir is being fed by a mix of soft and hard water to minimise the impact.

We must look to our futureAll the foregoing is a discourse on a change that, whatever the objections of the time, is now in place to keep an infrastructure in pace with demand for the medium to longer term future of County Kildare. It exemplifies that we must look to our future in whatever ways are necessary to keep the water flowing, the electricity on when we click a switch, the waste dealt with when our bins are full, the fuel available to heat our homes and power our factories.

We are a modern community and we can't barricade ourselves inside a compound to keep things as they are because that's what suits us now. We can't block the water that flows through our part of the land and thereby cut it off from those downstream, or from our neighbours who might need it now or in their future. That's the kind of thing which has over thousands of years led to wars at local and larger geographical level. There's a common good which must always be considered when looking to major changes to essential services.

Informations and misinformations to be untangled, sciences and pseudo-sciences to be winnowed apartThe current situation over the Grid Link routes raises similar issues. I'm not taking sides in the debate at this stage, because there are still many arguments to be threshed out, informations and misinformations to be untangled, sciences and pseudo-sciences to be winnowed apart. What does bother me is the rapid polarisation and the politicising of the issue which might well have a long-term effect on relations between individuals and sectors within our community.

I will be making my own submission on the proposed routes of the power line, based on protection of heritages which in their own way were the centres of our ancestral communities, and where decisions were made for the good of those communities for their time and for their own foreseeable future. And I fully support the right of others to make their own submissions to EirGrid from whatever perspective concerns them. I would just like what seems to have become a clamour and hype to slow down, so that we can all hear each other.

It would be useful too if the EirGrid people were in attendance at public gatherings to consider the plans, and engage directly with questions and claims put out at those meetings. Unchallenged assertions can very rapidly become taken as facts.

There's an interesting connection reported between the Barrow water scheme and the Grid Link proposals of today. According to Tobin Consulting Engineers, Athy is credited with being the first town in these islands to have had electricity provided by hydropower, from the Barrow. If that is so, whatever authority — official or commercial — produced that initiative, had a vision. A similar vision to those people who have over the past seven decades given us all in this land electricity in our homes at the flick of a switch, clean water flowing from our taps, and taken disease-potential waste away from open sewers.

I for one like to look at the vision for the future of my neighbours and friends as well as my own comfortable present. Because in those past decades, somebody did that for all of us here now.

GAG evening to help with EirGrid submissions

A Drop-In evening for people who want help with submissions on the proposed routes for the Grid Link project being undertaken by EirGrid will be held in Kilcullen Community Centre on Monday, writes Brian Byrne.

The event begins at 6.30pm, and has been organised by the Grid Link Action group (GAG).

The Group, which is opposed to the use of pylons to carry the 400kV line from Cork to Kilcullen via Wexford, held an information evening in Kilcullen recently, and hosted a public meeting with a planning consultant in Athy earlier this week.

Submissions on the proposed routes must be in by November 26.

Stories which have been posted on the Diary on the matter are available here.

Planning consultant meeting on pylons

A public meeting with a planning consultant is being organised by the Grid Link Action Group (GAG) for next Thursday night, November 7, writes Brian Byrne.

The meeting will be in the Clanard Court Hotel in Athy and starts at 8pm.

GAG reminds those interested in making a submission on the proposed routes of the new 400kV line that the deadline to have them in to EirGrid is 27 November.

For anyone who wants help with making their submissions, there are 'Drop In' nights arranged through the week after next — in Kilcullen Community Centre on Monday 11 November, 6.30-9pm; Kilkea NS on Wednesday 13 November, 4-7pm; Grangecon Boxing Club Thursday 14 November, 4-7pm; and Molly O'Looney's in Narraghmore on Saturday 16 November, 2-5pm.

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.

Action Group seeks volunteers, funding

Kilcullen meeting Monday nightThe Gridlink Action Group (GAG) set up after the Community Meeting in St Laurence's GAA Club last month is urgently seeking support from Kilcullen, writes Brian Byrne.

A 15-person group of team leaders has been set up to coordinate future actions aimed at changing Eirgrid's plans to use overhead lines for the new 400kV between Cork, Wexford and Dunstown outside Kilcullen. The Group says the line should be put underground and claims that there are known health issues related to overground high-tension cables.

A meeting on Monday night in the Community Centre has been organised by GAG, starting at 7.30pm.

The Group's team leaders are organised according to expertise and interests, ranging from agriculture/landowners, equine, residential, fundraising and other areas.

Following Monday night's meeting, a full committee will be set up. Further information can be obtained from the Kilcullen representative on the group, Maurice Cunningham at 086 2669210.

Eirgrid has proposed several routes through Kildare, West Wicklow and Laois. A community consultation process to determine the preferred option is in progress. This will be chosen in March 2014 with planning applications to follow in 2015. Submissions on the proposed routes must be in by 26 November.

GAG is engaging a planning consultant in order to make effective submissions. The Group is looking for donations from individuals in the affected areas to help fund this.

Community workshops will be held in the coming weeks to assist people who wish to make a submission.

Grid Link concerns to be aired at Monday meeting

A public meeting is being held in the Community Centre on Monday night next, to highlight concerns related to the proposed Grid Link 400kV electricity line between Cork and Dunstown near Kilcullen, writes Brian Byrne.

The meeting has been organised by the local Grid Link Action Group, which describes itself as 'a voluntary group of individuals who have come together because of their shared concerns' relating to the project.

"We are not opposed to progress, but not at the price of people’s lives, and health, nor our local environment, heritage and livelihoods," says spokesperson Angela Fennin.

The Group says it represents residents in the local South Kildare area and businesses in the local area who want to to 'force' Eirgrid to explore and utilise 'other opportunities' for the proposed high voltage overhead powerlines.

The meeting begins at 7.30pm.

Residents call public meeting on Grid Link

A public meeting is being held on September 30 to discuss the proposed routes of the Eirgrid Grid Link high voltage electricity line, writes Brian Byrne.

The location of the meeting is St Laurence's GAA Complex at Old Grange, and it will begin at 8pm. Resident Adrian Behan says everyone in the area needs to be aware of the size of this project, both physically and in high voltage terms.

The meeting will also discuss associated heath risks with living beside high voltage lines, the effect on home values in the vicinity of such lines, and the impact on landscape.

The routes proposed under the first part of Eirgrid's research for the system involve more than 60 townlands in this area. The meeting is being arranged by local residents.

The Grid Link system will end in Dunstown, Carnalway, having come from Cork via Wexford.

Open Day on Grid Link proposed routes

A Open Day on the proposed routes of the Grid Link project will be held in Kilcullen Heritage Centre this afternoon, September 11, writes Brian Byrne.

The event will begin at 1pm, and details of the routes will be explained to all interested, including how the new power line will approach Dunstown at Carnalway.

The €500 million upgrade of the electricity grid involves the construction of a new power line linking Leinster and Munster, connecting Dunstown station with Knockraha in Cork via Great Island in Wexford.

This Open Day follows a period of public consultation on various aspects of the proposal, including environmental and archaeological restrictions related to any selected route.

EirGrid does not expect to submit an application to An Bord Pleanála for planning approval before 2015 and public consultation will form an important part of all stages of the project over the coming years.

Pictured at the opening of the Grid Link Information Office in Kilcullen in June are Ronan Greely, EirGrid, Cllr Ivan Keatley, and John Lowry, Grid Link Project Manager.

Grid Link Information Office is officially opened

Information Office in Market SquareThe Grid Link Information Office in Kilcullen was officially opened last evening with the attendance of the Mayor of Kildare, Michael Spike Nolan, writes Brian Byrne.

Also there was Cllr Ivan Keatley from Kilcullen, and Cllr Paddy Kennedy from Newbridge.

The Office is located in the Market Square building, on the second floor. Access is possible by the lift in the premises as well as the stairs.

It will be open every Monday afternoon to provide information on the Grid Link Project, a €500 million investment that will see the construction of a new power line linking Dunstown (near Kilcullen) with Knockraha in Co Cork via Great Island in Co Wexford and will ensure future electrical power needs are met in the south and east of Ireland.

Pictured at last night's event are Ronan Greely, EirGrid, Cllr Ivan Keatley, and John Lowry, Grid Link Project Manager.

The list of possible routes for the link will be made public in September as part of an intensive public consultation programme linked to the project.

Grid Link office established

Electricity grid upgradeAn Information Centre for the new Eirgrid Grid Link Project has been established in Market Square.

It will be open each Monday afternoon from 12-6pm to facilitate queries from members of the public and businesses in the Kildare area.

The €500 million upgrade of the electricity grid involves the construction of a new power line linking Leinster and Munster, connecting Dunstown station (near Kilcullen) with Knockraha in Cork via Great Island in Wexford. 

“We encourage people who have knowledge of the area to talk to us and let us know about any regional or locally important features in the study area that they believe should be considered as the project develops,” says John Lowry, project manager. "It is your opportunity to influence and inform the decision making process. Consultation opportunities will be held throughout the project to ensure that your feedback is taken on board.”

EirGrid does not expect to submit an application to An Bord Pleanála for planning approval before 2015 and public consultation will form an important part of all stages of the project over the coming years. 

Grid Link info on Saturday

A representative from EirGrid will be in the Community Library from 12 noon next Saturday 23 March to talk about the Grid Link Project.

This is part of the public consultation around this project and is a valuable opportunity for the community to engage with a representative from the project team and to voice any concerns that they may have about the project and its impact on the local environment.

An electrical morning

There was a rare electricity outage in the Sunbury-to-Hideout section of Kilcullen on Thursday morning, which obviously included your editor's home being without power from the very early hours through to lunchtime, writes Brian Byrne.

By one of those ironies of life, I was scheduled to visit the Eirgrid National Control Centre on the same day, which is where the whole island's electricity system is managed (and managed very well). I'm pictured above in the Centre with John Lowry, Grid Link Project Manager, Eirgrid.

We take our electricity system so much for granted, it was quite fascinating to get an insight into how it is managed, and also how important it is not just to each of our homes, but to the economy of the country as a whole. And how necessary is the €3.2bn investment being put into the national electricity infrastructure by 2020.

Over the next few weeks I'll do a series of short pieces based on the briefing. Not at all off-topic, as very little of what we do every day would be possible without that invisible energy source.

(For instance, my wake-up coffee yesterday morning had to come from Fraser's Filling Station: they didn't have enough emergency power for their pumps, but the coffee machine was going full blast.)

And without the wonder of electricity and the efficiency of its supply, you wouldn't be able to read this now ...