THE GOVERNMENT HAS unveiled plans to upgrade the electricity grid in the south and east of the country and announced a public consultation on the new €500 million project.

The Grid Link project, spearheaded by Eirgrid, would see the construction of a new power line linking Leinster and Munster. The company claims that it would deliver benefits to the national and regional economies.

No definitive sites have been identified for the construction of what EirGrid hopes will be a 400 kV alternating current (AC) overhead line linking Cork and Kildare via Wexford.

The company’s preference for an overhead line mirrors a stance it took in its contribution to a report last year which found that putting a separate north-south electricity interconnector underground instead of overground would be more expensive.

EirGrid said it would review its technology analysis at key stages throughout this project to ensure it remains valid.

Speaking today, Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte said that that the new electricity grid would provide a secure, long-term electricity supply for homes and businesses across the south and east of the country.

“The Grid Link Project will reinforce the electricity grid and have direct economic benefits for our local communities,” he said, encouraging peple to take part in the public consultation process.

The proposed project study area would span counties including Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow. A non-statutory public sonsultation will run for eight weeks from today until 8 June.

“During this first stage of public consultation, EirGrid is seeking comment on the proposed study area map, feedback on what constraints should be identified and on how EirGrid should develop corridors for the project,” Grid Link Project manager, John Lowry, said.

“This is a non-statutory consultation that will provide all interested individuals and organisations an opportunity to feed into the early development of the project.”

Read: Putting North-South interconnector underground more expensive – report