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THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Agency (EPA) has launched an investigation into the leaking of up to one million litres of oil from heavy-duty electrical cables under the streets of Dublin.
The investigation was launched 10 days ago after RTÉ Investigates and ESB contacted the EPA in relation to records of oil leaks going back over the last two decades.
The RTÉ Investigates programme into the issue will air tonight. The programme will hear from whistleblower Séamus O’Loughlin who made a number of protected disclosures around environmental and safety hazards within the ESB Network.
His first Protected Disclosure documents the leaking of vast quantities of insulating oil from the national grid which continues to this day. RTÉ reports that the cables have been leaking thousands of litres of industrial fluid over a sustained period.
“I got the report on the fluid filled cables, I got the total leakage, up to a million litres in 20 year period. I just couldn’t compute it to be honest. I was astounded,” McLoughlin told RTÉ.
An internal ESB report from 2014, marked confidential and seen by RTÉ, states that:
“leaks could present a very high environmental impact, given the proximity to the Grand Canal”.
The ESB report goes on to say that the underground cable oil is “not considered compatible with watercourses and the associated eco systems, in rivers and canals and the sea”.
Leaked oil
Other records show that a total of 19,781 litres of oil was leaked from one underground cable over a ten-year period up until 2009. RTÉ reports that over the next five years to 2014, almost 10,000 litres of oil was leaked from the Grand Canal line.
Waterways Ireland received four reports of oil pollution from members of the public over this period. WI was unaware of the source of the pollution and had to pay for the clean up, before learning the ESB cables had leaked the oil.
The EPA said that it was first contacted by the ESB about these leaks was 10 days ago, after RTÉ had contacted both organisations.
“Given the alleged scale and duration of these incidents as reported by RTÉ, and the correspondence received this week from ESB Networks, the EPA has launched an immediate investigation into the matter,” an EPA spokesperson said.
A Dublin City Council spokesperson also said that apart from two incidents in 2009 and 2011, the council was not informed about leaks from the underground network.
A spokesperson said the council “would also expect to be notified of any instances of such leakage by ESB Networks”.
ESB response
In a comprehensive statement to TheJournal.ie, a spokesperson for ESB said it was aware that RTÉ was planning to broadcast a programme about its activities and that it had responded to the issues raised.
“ESB Networks is of the view that these matters should not give rise for concern in relation to the safe operation and maintenance of the electricity network for employees or the general public,” the spokesperson said.
Performance in relation to fluid filled cables in 2019 is in line with similar utilities in Europe.
The spokesperson said that it was committed “to ensure that the electricity network is operated to the highest standards in regard to the safety of the public, our staff, our contract partners and the environment”.
“We understand that a primary focus of the programme relates to fluid-filled cables. It is important to note that the cable insulating fluid is classified as non-hazardous and readily biodegradable.
Notwithstanding this, ESB Networks acknowledges that it is preferable to minimise and eliminate leaks. To that end, ESB Networks continues to invest in repair technology and is engaged in a long-term cable replacement programme.
The spokesperson also said that ESB has been required to report to the sectoral regulator (CRU) on environmental performance since 2006.
“This requirement has included reporting on cable insulating fluid leakage and we have complied with this requirement,” they said.
We have not traditionally engaged with the EPA in relation to fluid filled cables. However, following a recent review, we have approached the EPA on the matter in order to clarify our reporting obligations, if any.
RTÉ Investigates – The ESB Leaks will air tonight on RTÉ One at 9.35pm.
white people are never emigrants, always ex-pats
I hate these lazy journo stories, and I blame News Ltd for setting the standard, if the the author had got off his clacker he’d have seen these comparisons are based on your Irish employer posting you overseas on an Irish salary. It’s a completely different story if you live in those countries and are paid a local salary.
Pet hate of mine, Fenster. Western European white people are ex-pats. Anyone of a different colour, or white and from East of the Berlin Wall, and you’re an immigrant. Snobbery of the highest order.
also 8th highest in Europe is a terrible position. We should be aiming to be going lower down the list, not towards number 1
You are a emigrant to the host country and an ex-pat to your originating country. So much so I used to think ex-pat was only relevant to irish people as in ex- Patrick / paddy
Boganity: I live and work in Bulgaria in a town on the Black Sea coast. I manage quite well on Bulgarian salary. Beer at 40cents for a 500ml bottle, a nice meal for two in a local restaurant around 12.50 euro. LPG for the car about 45cent a liter, insurance at 50 euro, car tax about 30 euro for a year. 1.20 euro to see a doctor. Private hospital bills subsidised by the health service. I grow my own veggies and fruit. Make my own booze from grapes or apricots growing in the garden. 35degs C here today. I can walk around anywhere at night in safety. It’s nothing to see women walking through a dimly lit park late at night here, Things can get tight at times, but all in all, i’m much better off here.
what Kal said: they’re expats when you’re referring to people from your own country.
next thing fenster you will be wearing an afro and hitting the tanning salon everyday.Must be tough been a self hating liberal.
that rachel dolozell wan ruined it for the likes of me
An Ex-pat and an emigrant are different things.
An Ex-pat is resident for tax and legal purposes in their home country but are seconded on to a foreign one.
Tbilisi may be the cheapest city in Europe, but there’s also albino tigers running around the place, eating people right now. I’d rather take my chances with an expensive cup of coffee….
This is nice. However perhaps correcting for the average wage would give a meaningful appreciation of the real world cost.
A few examples of prices for surveyed goods and services would have added to this article.
have your say