Power crisis: Mayo 'should not have to wait on windfarm developers for 400kV line'

Mayo will continue to sit without a high-capacity power line until a private windfarm developer forces the issue, EirGrid told the environment strategic policy committee (SPC) of Mayo County Council.

Councillor Peter Flynn said it was "not a maybe answer" that Mayo needed a 400kV circuit, and questioned why the county was still discussing 110kV and 220kV upgrades after the previous 400kV Grid West project was shelved in 2017.

A 400kV circuit from Bellacorrick to outside Carrick-on-Shannon was proposed 10 to 14 years ago, EirGrid's Timothy Hurley told the meeting.

The project was cancelled in 2017 when a number of windfarms that would have justified it did not go ahead.

Hurley said any future large-scale windfarm in north Mayo would likely trigger the need for a 220kV or 400kV line, but the process only starts once a developer applies for a connection.

"Why are we 13 years on and only talking about 110kV, and 400kV not being mentioned?" Flynn asked.

"We are seen as a renewable hub. Do we need to have higher aspirations than 110kV lines?"

He pressed EirGrid and the ESB on whether Mayo County Council should prioritise grid infrastructure in its development plan, and pointed to the high renewable energy output - wind currently supplies the majority of the 42 per cent of national electricity demand met by renewables.

Director of services with Mayo County Council Joanne Grehan backed the call, telling the meeting the region had seen no significant grid investment in over a decade despite ageing infrastructure and known ‘pinch points’.

She said the council would like to see more delivered than is currently planned, including underground 110kV capacity.

Councillor Flynn also asked whether a subsidy model for households living near renewable infrastructure, similar to schemes in Scandinavia, had been raised at national level, arguing it would turn renewable projects from a perceived threat into a tangible local benefit.

Committee chair Councillor Gerry Murray noted that the wind sector has received €6 billion in subsidies since 2000, and asked why developers could not fund infrastructure themselves.

* Funded by the Local Democracy Funding Scheme.