Groups reject pylon plan costing

An overhead cable is the best option for a cross-border electricity inter-connector, a report has found.

The report, commissioned by NIE and Eirgrid, found an overhead line would be easier to repair and far cheaper than the underground cable alternative.

However, opponents to the proposed system between Tyrone and Cavan said the report "grossly overestimated" the cost of an underground system.

They said that people in the area had health concerns with overhead cables.

The report said electric and magnetic fields produced by the high-voltage cable complied with EU guidelines.

It is hoped that an all-island electricity market will bring reduced bills for both domestic and business users through greater competition.

The consultants who produced the report, Parsons Brinckerhoff Power, said they had examined security, reliability, cost and environmental factors.

However, two pressure groups, Safe Electricity For Armagh/Tyrone (SEAT) and North East Pylon Pressure campaign (NEPP), rejected the report.

"It goes in the face of international expert opinion that, while underground may be more costly to build, it is always cheaper to operate than overhead," said a statement.

"We utterly reject the assertion that underground is more costly to build and operate than overhead."

The groups said the report's estimated costs of 432m euro for a section of underground cable, contrasted with an estimate of 305m euro from experts they had commissioned to examine the proposal.

According to the report, faults on an overhead power line can be repaired within hours whereas underground cables could be out of service for much longer.

It said overhead lines could impact on scenic views "though this may be somewhat mitigated by careful routing".

The report said there was no underground cable circuit of the kind and length required for these projects, anywhere in the world.

The opposition groups said it was "confident that our experts' findings on the issues will stand up to objective scrutiny and will prevail".

NIE said it would proceed with a planning application for an overhead lint to be constructed "along a carefully selected route chosen to limit the impact of the development on both the environment and upon communities along the route".

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