A map showing the route of the cable
It is the first privately funded interconnector in Europe and will connect EirGrid s Great Island 220kV substation and the UK National Grid s Pembroke transmission substation, with separate applications required on both sides of the Irish sea.
Planning permission has been sought from An Bord Pleanála for a new converter station, tail station and MV substation at Great Island, 23km of high voltage direct current (HVDC) electricity cables, 420m of high voltage alternating current (HVAC) cables, 23.42km of fibre optic cable, 54 car parking spaces on the access road to Baginbun Beach and the provision of footpaths and street lighting in Ramsgrange village as community benefit projects along with various temporary construction, cable and drilling compounds, on an overall proposed development site of more than 200 acres.
A planning application for the Arklow to Shillelagh Greenway could be submitted to An Bord Pleanala in the coming months.
Members of the Baltinglass Municipal District received an update on the project during their December meeting, which took place using the Zoom platform.
Margaret Hartnett, Senior Executive Engineer with the Roads section of Wicklow County Council, told councillors that the project had received support from the local community and was expected to provide economic benefits for the area.
The development would create a shared cycleway and footpath for pedestrians along a 37km route from Shillelagh through south Wicklow to Arklow train station. The idea was that tourists could start the greenway at Arklow, travel to Shillelagh, stay locally, then travel back to Arklow.
Huge planning boost for South Kilkenny wind farm
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); Castlebanny Wind Farm has been granted ‘strategic infrastructure project’ status by An Bord Pleanála.
This will allow project developers, ART Generation and Coillte, to send their planning application directly to An Bord Pleanála, and bypass the local planning approval phase.
The proposed wind farm would be located in South County Kilkenny, 2.2km South-East of Ballyhale, 4.5km North-East of Mullinavat and 5.8km South-West of Inistioge.
It entails the construction of 21 wind turbines up to a maximum tip height of 185 metres, 3 onsite borrow pits to source stone, one onsite met mast of 100m in height as well as the provision of amenity facilities to allow and encourage public access to the site.
Portlaoise renewable gas plant due for planning decision
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A decision is imminent on whether a renewable gas plant can be built on the outskirts of Portlaoise.
Bord na Móna is seeking to build the new plant on bogland in Cúl na Móna near the M7 motorway.
A decision is due by Tuesday January 5 from Laois County Council. The application received over 260 submissions from the public in objection to it.
Among them were ones from Laois TDs Sean Fleming and Brian Stanley.
Deputy Fleming said it had unknown risks with a risk of massive stockpiles creating unknown odours and serious health hazards as material brought to Laois would be stored waiting to be spread on lands here.