Significant road closures ahead for Mayo as major electricity underground cable project gets underway
Mayo County Council has warned of “significant” and “unavoidable” road closures as construction works are due to begin on the North Connacht 110kv Project in the first quarter of this year.
The project will see the installation of a 110kV underground electricity cable running 59km from the Moy substation in Ballina, Mayo, to the Tonroe substation in Ballaghaderreen, Roscommon.
The new cable is due to be energised in 2028 and will create half a gigawatt of energy for the national grid - enough to power 150,000 homes.
At the January meeting of Ballina Municipal District Council, members were told there would be “significant road closures” during the construction works.
Head engineer of the Ballina Municipal District, Orla Bourke, assured councillors that all possible closures will go through the necessary public consultation process.
She highlighted that a number of workshops have been held over the past few years to minimise the impact of the development on local communities and to ensure the works are carried out as efficiently as possible.
However, she acknowledged that some road closures “will be unavoidable” and added that once closures are agreed and finalised, they will proceed through the statutory process, including advertising both the intention to close roads and the final decisions.
The North Connacht Community Benefit Fund has been set up as part of the project and will see €1.53m distributed in three phases.
The fund aims to recognise the role of local communities along the grid infrastructure route and acknowledge the disruption caused by the works.
The first phase of the funding is now open for applications. A total of €612,000 is being made available to community and volunteering groups who work within 2km of the cable route.
This phase is divided into three funding streams of €204,000 each: the community stream, the sustainability stream, and the biodiversity stream.
Eirgrid appointed SECAD as an independent fund administrator for the project. The two organisations will host three information events to help groups with any questions about the application process.
The first session will take place in the Swinford Cultural Centre on Tuesday, February 24, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
On Wednesday, February 25, a session will be held at the Mary Robinson Centre in Ballina between 10.30am and 12.30pm.
A third clinic for Roscommon-based groups will take place at The Shambles Community Resource Centre in Ballaghaderreen on Wednesday, February 25, from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
Head of the Ballina Municipal District, Declan Turnbull, informed councillors that the minimum funding available for groups is €1,000, and the maximum is €75,000, although higher amounts could be considered in exceptional circumstances.
Mr Turnbull encouraged all eligible local groups, particularly those in the Ballina area and out towards Knockmore, to apply for the funding.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.