Kildare council seeks more details on Intel’s $4bn Leixlip expansion

Kildare County Council is seeking further information from Intel on its plans for a new $4 billion (€3.53 billion) manufacturing fabrication (FAB) facility at its Leixlip plant.

The primary issue concerns Eirgrid's plan for a new 220KV sub-station to connect the Maynooth Woodland transmission line to the Intel campus in either an overground or underground format across the Rye Water.

Eirgrid requires planning permission from An Bord Pleanála to construct the connection and the council points out that a planning application has yet to be lodged for the project.

The council is requesting Intel to examine the impacts of the overground or underground options of the grid connection.

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The impacts are to form part of a revised Natura Impact Statement to be lodged to examine the combined impacts of the Intel plan and the Eirgrid scheme.

The council has sought further information on the Eirgrid connection after the country's most high-profile planning activist, Peter Sweetman, told the council that the plan can't proceed without specific details of the grid connection to serve the new facility and cited a High Court judgement to support his argument.

In the further information request, the council has also asked Intel to respond to issues raised by third parties making submissions.

The small number of those to make submissions include local farmer, Thomas Reid.

In 2016, Intel secured planning permission for the first phase of the facility valued at $4 billion and the new application, which is an extension of the original plan, represents an additional investment of $4 billion.

In total, the $8 billion (€7 billion) investment – which will employ 6,000 construction workers at peak and 1,600 people full-time on completion – will represent the largest single private investment in the history of the State on one project if given the go-ahead by Intel globally.

Consultants for Intel have told Kildare County Council that the firm has already invested $12.5 billion on its site at Leixlip and the firm is seeking a 10-year planning permission for its new application.

The application will become “live” once Intel lodges the requested information.