Dear Editor

Bear with me while I have my personal rant against Eirgrid’s proposal to run miles and miles of 400kv lines on monstrous 45 meter pylons through our beautiful county. Can someone please, please, tell me who thought that this might be a good idea? Who in their right minds thought that it would be intelligent to decimate our countryside (an area that is dependent on tourism and agriculture), devalue our properties and put our health and that of our livestock and wildlife at risk? Did no one say “hold on a second, this is not right”? What about our elected representatives? Did they not think that instead of selling us down the river for the profits of others, that they should have shouted “Stop” and thought of the impact on their home constituents (the people who elected them to their positions)? Do they think that future generations are going to thank them for this stupidity?

I have grave concerns on issues relating to this proposal of 45 metre high pylons carrying 400Kv lines placed 350 metres apart (that’s a lot of pylons across Waterford). These concerns include:

Lack of consultation with the people of West Waterford. This project has been known to a select few in our county since May 2012, yet the vast majority of those I have spoken with have only become aware of it since this September. No advertisements were placed in the two local papers which are circulated in West Waterford. Why? The words equity, transparency and consultation have been sadly lacking to date in this process.

EMFs – can anyone categorically say that the EMFs from 400Kv lines are safe? Will it be a case that it will be 10, 15 or 20 years down the line when there are statistics regarding illnesses recorded of people living under or near these lines before anyone can set about proving that they are, in fact, a danger to our health? It may be at that stage be too late for some.

Tourism and Economy: Eirgrid say that this project will in fact help our economy and provide jobs. How? The construction/purchase of these pylons will have to undergo a tender process, this tender process (due to the monetary value) will have to be undertaken at EU level and it is very unlikely that a domestic company will win this tender. Jobs will be lost in the tourism industry in areas where these pylons are built as tourist numbers will drop and jobs in this area as a result will decline. Eirgird state in their brochure that “a region with a high quality, secure supply of electricity is better placed to attract inward investment”, but it is my opinion (and that of others) that we are not in need of further electricity supply. In the high demand of the “Celtic Tiger” days we had enough of a supply, why now in recessionary times when countless large business have closed would we need more of a supply then we did then?

This project is to facilitate electricity links with either Britain or France: Why should we as Irish citizens give up our beautiful landscapes and natural resources to help line the pockets of a few people from the sale of our electricity to other states? Are we to become like we were in Famine times, back then it was the potato crop that we supplied the UK with while our own people starved – now it is to be electricity, with the devaluation of our homes/property, the decimation of our countryside and the risk to our health being the cost this time around. It is yet again too high a price!

The project will apparently also help enable Ireland to meet its 40% renewable electricity target. Do other EU countries have as high a target? Who set this target? Why is it so high? Why is it that the ordinary man on the street is the one who has to yet again pay the price?

While I have paid my dues, taken the pay cuts, increased work hours, put up with reduced services and listened to argument after argument as to why it is all necessary to get the country out of the mess it is in – this Grid Link project is a step too far for me, it is a ‘pill’ that I refuse to swallow.

We do not need these pylons, we do not want these pylons and we should not accept these pylons.

All I ask is that if you agree with me, please voice your objections by means of a submission to The Grid Link Project manager, Eirgrid PO Box 12213, Glenageary, Co. Dublin. Closing date for submissions is 26th November.

Last I heard, this country was still a democracy not a dictatorship! Please let your voice be heard.

Yours sincerely,

Gina McGrath,

Tourin,

Cappoquin.