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THE CEO OF Eirgrid, Fintan Slye, has told an Oireachtas committee that he would have “no issue” living next to a pylon, the day after the incoming chairman of the company admitted he would not want to live beside one.
Yesterday John O’Connor told the committee on Transport and Communications that he “would not like to live close to a pylon”. However, when asked the same question by committee chair John O’Mahony, the company’s CEO said:
In terms of my personal view, I would have no issue living next to a pylon. In the first instance, I know it’s completely safe – I have no issue with that.
He said another reason he would have no problem with it is because of the necessity for servicing the grid and for the jobs and infrastructure of the community.
Syle pointed to “a wealth of studies” that indicate pylons do not cause any health issues and the fact that we are 50 times below the limits set out in World Health Organisation guidelines.
Representatives for the company are before the committee to discuss and address issues in relation to three projects that the company is working on across the country – the North/South Interconnector in Meath, Gridwest from Carrick-on-Shannon to Mayo and Gridlink which will stretch from Cork to Wexford and on to Kildare.
Going underground
On the issue of the visual impact of the pylons, Slye said Eirgrid works with communities and individuals during and after the consultation process to come up with solutions but said that for significant distances, “it is not possible to underground”.
He said this would require inserting large converter stations “larger than Croke Park” around the country and would involve considerably higher costs.
With all three largescale projects under discussion, if they were to go underground instead of building pylons, Slye said it would “add about €2 billion to the cost of electricity” and this would in turn add to bills for consumers.
The CEO told the committee that Eirgrid as “no vested interest in any particular technology solutions”.
Get down and dirty
Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley was critical of Eirgrid, which he said was “less forthcoming” on some of the impacts that transmission lines will have on communities and individuals, like the potential effect on property values.
Tipperary South TD Mattie McGrath urged the company’s CEO to “get down and dirty, as I say, with the people, and stand in the people’s kitchens.
Take off the suits and get on the wellies and go into the farmyards and asked the people and talk to them instead of talking over them and at them.
Michelle Mulherin, Fine Gael TD for the Mayo constituency, which is included in plans for one of the three projects, said “at the very least – and you don’t need to be an expert for this – they don’t look nice.”
She said Eirgrid should lay out the pros and cons of all of the options to give people a full evaluation.
“Let people see the upsides and the downsides for themselves,” she told representatives.
Slye said that the need for more details on this, and in particular an assessment of undergrounding as an option, is becoming clear in the consultation process for the Gridlink process and that is something the company is looking at.
He said he would be happy to address the committee again to update them after the consultation process is over in January next year.
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Anyone I’ve spoken to in an SME claims they are struggling to get loans out of banks. Primetime…investigate
i agree get primetime to investigate these muppets and bring the truth to the surface
So it’s the sme’s fault for not applying. Vague memories of my bank sending me preapproved loans without any request for a loan oh how the tables have turned
If you lay the terms, then you can determine the eligibility. The banks are blanking SME’s, they are just giving themselves a plausible cover story. SME’s represent 90% of Irish businesses, the banks couldn’t care less about them.
Thats just bowlix that, the banks are putting up stupid conditions on SME’s to meet the criteria and using any excuse not to give out money.
I thought that the money we used to bail out the banks was to help stimulate lending? Utter BS.
Absolute BS is right.
The CRO have become an unwitting mouthpiece for the banks.
I needed â
Why don’t I believe them?
I’d imagine a lot of small businesses know that it’s like trying to get blood from a stone and realise that it’s not worth the time or resources to apply for a loan they know they won’t get.
Small business owners everywhere must be livid over this crap.
i went in looking for a loan and was told their not a hope been with the bank 35 years never miss a payment
Its never the bank fault is it…..
Also the bank managers are telling customers not to ask for a loan because you will not get it, how many of these are counted in this report??
Out of interest…. what do you mean by ‘stupid and punitive requirements’?
the Credit Review Office charges €100 to review a case, if a small business is looking for a loan they dont have the money to be shelling out €100 for a over paid credit review officer to check th case. this is why alot of loans are not reported on.
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