Compulsory Purchase Orders of local land for north-south interconnector is a recipe for conflict.
That's according to Sinn Fein TD, Deputy Pauline Tully.
The Cavan-Monaghan TD recently questioned Minister Eamon Ryan if he or his department had spoken with local communities to come up with alternative plans for delivering the north-south interconnector. Deputy Tully says as Minister he should be doing everything he can to avoid the inevitable conflict that the issuing of compulsory purchase orders will create.
The local TD said this is an essential infrastructure project which we all want to see delivered. But it must be done in a way that has the support of the local community. We are almost 20 years on from when the project was first talked about.
Deputy Tully says the main reason it has not moved is that the landowners are totally opposed to this going over their land, for a number of reasons that have not yet been addressed She believes the option of undergrounding has not been properly explored.
