EirGrid has published a significant report on the Grid Link Project identifying a number of feasible 1km wide route corridor options for a new 400kV overhead power line linking Leinster and Munster.

The publication of the Stage 1 Report coincides with the beginning of a 12-week public consultation period and members of the public are encouraged to provide feedback on the report to EirGrid by 26 November 2013. The report containing the route corridor options is available to download at www.eirgridprojects.com/projects/gridlink and is on view at the Grid Link Project Information Centres in Carlow, Carrick-on-Suir, Kilcullen, Midleton and New Ross.

Members of the public are invited to attend upcoming Open Days in their area to discuss the project with the team.

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The €500m Grid Link Project will connect substations in Knockraha in Cork to Dunstown near Kilcullen in Kildare via Great Island in Wexford ensuring a reliable and high quality electricity supply for the homes, farms and businesses in the region for the future.

John Lowry, the Grid Link Project Manager, commented: "The Stage 1 Report is an important milestone for the project team and is the culmination of months of work to identify the route corridor options which was helped by the public's input to date. The Grid Link Project will provide a platform for economic growth and job creation in the south and east. A region with a high quality, secure supply of electricity is best placed to attract inward investment that will bring employment and prosperity. EirGrid encourages participation from all interested parties in this public consultation and welcomes feedback to inform the next stage of the project."

Feedback gathered from the first and second consultations, as well as desktop studies and expert input, all fed into the completion of the Stage 1 Report, which identifies a number of route corridor options and substation zones. Feedback from this third consultation will help the project team in identifying a "least constrained" corridor. The least constrained corridor is considered to be the corridor which best avoids social, environmental, technical and other constraints. In further stages of the project EirGrid will continue to consult with and provide information to members of the public and other stakeholders. A planning application for the identified route will not take place before 2015.

(CD/JP)