State company Eirgrid will this year attempt for a second time to get planning permision for a controversial high-capacity power line connecting Meath with Tyrone.
The national grid operator had to abandon its original proposal for the high-votage electricity line amid controversy in 2010 after it emerged that the public notice which formed part of its planning application misstated the height of the pylons it intended using.
The error’s discovery prematurely ended a public hearing into Eirgrid’s first planning application, which met strong resistance from local groups, who wanted the lines placed underground.
The company’s chief executive Fintan Slye, says it intends to apply to An Bord Pleanála’s strategic infrastructure board for a second time by the end of the year for permission to build the 105km section of the line that runs through the Republic.
Northern Ireland Electricity is at a similar stage of development with the 35km section that will run into the North. Ahead of seeking planning permission, Mr Slye says Eirgrid intends launching a public consultation in the northeast. The company will also consult directly with landowners about the least intrusive locations for the towers that will carry the lines.
The issue will go to an oral hearing.
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