To date, Eirgrid has spent €42 million on the proposed north-south interconnector. And, Northern Sound can reveal that at least some of this multi-million cost is "recovered through charges on customers". Following a request for information by Northern Sound, Eirgrid said "to date, approximately €42 m has been spent". In a statement Eirgrid explained that the Commission for Regulation and Utlities (CRU), which, has responsibility for the "cost of building, safely operating and maintaining the electricity grid" has "approved and agreed" the "recovery of the cost of the interconnector through charges on customers".
When Northern Sound asked for a breakdown of how exactly the €42m was spent on, for example, professional fees, planning applications and staff, Eirgrid said a "complete breakdown of these costs are not currently available." Cavan County Councillor Clifford Kelly has joined local landowners in opposing the proposed overhead electricity interconnector. He said he was shocked at what he is calling a "waste of money".
"I'm somewhat shocked to see that, to date, approximately €42m has been spent on the mismanagement, I would say, on this whole Eirgrid scenario," Cllr Kelly told Northern Sound, "and to see the people are being charged. The electricity bills are not high enough without their waste of money and them admitting that the people who are using electricity at present are paying extra because of their mismanagement of the whole system."
