Hopes new Mayo power line will bring reliable electricity flow to western region
EirGrid will give a presentation on the North Connacht 110 kV Project at the next meeting of the Ballina Municipal District Council.
The North Connacht 110 kV Project will add a new line to the electricity grid in County Mayo and County Roscommon. The project is due to start early next year.
The underground cable will run from the Moy substation in Ballina to the Tonroe substation in Ballaghaderreen, and will involve upgrading and extending both substations.
At the joint September and October meeting of the Ballina Municipal District Council, members welcomed the proposal for a representative from EirGrid to attend the November meeting and give a presentation.
Cllr John O'Hara highlighted the importance of the project and that it is the first of its kind in the area.
"It's the first underground cable that's going to be installed in the west of Ireland. It'll bring power in, and it'll bring power out, and that's what we need," he said.
Cllr O'Hara explained that the region needs a strong electricity connection to support industrial growth at all stages.
He noted that having a reliable power line in place will not only supply energy locally, but also allow the area to export the renewable energy it produces.
"It's no good generating [the energy] and not being able to get it out," he said.
North Connacht generates a significant amount of renewable energy. In Mayo, the Oweninny Wind Farm and the Bellacorick Wind Farm produce large amounts of onshore wind energy.
However, the electricity grid in the area can't manage the current flow of energy.
The North Connacht 110 kV upgrade will strengthen the grid, ensuring that electricity can be transmitted efficiently and reliably. It will also connect to renewable energy sources, and help to achieve Ireland’s climate targets.
Cllr Michael Loftus agreed with his colleague, praising EirGrid for its engagement with the local community, including farmers and landowners along the proposed route.
He stressed the importance of reliable electricity both coming into and leaving the region; he informed the council of recent challenges at the Oweninny Wind Farm.
"What John is saying, power in and power out is so important," he said.
"I know for a fact that the wind turbines in the Oweninny Wind Farms were turned off during the year because they weren't able to export the amount of electricity out from the wind farm."
Cllr Loftus explained that this action had a direct impact on the community gain fund, which is designed to provide financial benefits to local communities based on electricity production.
"We are supposed to get €2 per kilowatt based on the output of the actual turbines. Unfortunately, this year that didn't happen, because they weren't able to export the electricity out to the country.
"The community gain fund is down substantially for the communities to get the benefit of," he said.
He emphasised the urgency of the project and said he would like to see it in place as soon as possible: "It's great to have the talking done, we need to see it put into play. The information we could get from the presentation may give us the direction on that."
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.