NEWLY RELEASED FIGURES show utility company Eirgrid has spent some €2.7 million on legal fees over the last five years.
The details were released to TD Mattie McGrath after a parliamentary question. Eirgrid has been faced with opposition from a number of communities across the country that took issue with the company’s plans for expanding or improving the power grid.
The company said that legal fees largely involved costs relating to Superior Court litigation.
The new figures indicate Eirgrid spent €747,390 on procuring legal services for 2014/2014 alone:
McGrath described this as an “astonishing figure that demands immediate justification” by the company and the minister.
“These are astronomical fees that must have been built up as part of Eirgrid’s determined, but ill-fated attempt to thwart the wishes of local communities the length and breadth of the country,” he commented.
I intend to call on Eirgrid to release the names of the service providers who managed to generate these massive fees; which become even more stark when contrasted with the three million euro incurred by the whole of the Department of Social Protection for the same period.
In its response to the deputy, Eirgrid said it would be pleased to provide him with a briefing on its work in ensuring secure, economical and sustainable power supplies at your convenience.
A spokesperson said: “Our spend on legal fees largely involves costs relating to Superior Court litigation.
In the majority of cases, proceedings were not initiated by EirGrid but necessitated a defence, and were successfully defended.
“The increase in legal fees simply relates to the number of cases being litigated in a given year.”
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