Overhead Wires vs Underground Cables
There is no doubt that this is an emotive subject that incites black and white opinions with very little grey. An Taisce is attempting to occupy that 'grey area' by being as objective as possible. This could very easily be construed as 'sitting on the fence' however, we believe that different solutions must be employed in different areas for different reasons.
400kV Lines
There are 439kms of 400kV lines in the Republic of Ireland. At the present time no country in the world has put the main ateries of their electricity Grids underground. However, a trial project is being carried out in Denmark - parallel to their current over-head system as opposed to replacing it. The result of the trial is not expected to be available for approximately 4 - 5 years. Given the economic situation in which Ireland is mired presently, it would be folly to invest vast amounts of money in such embryonic technological systems. It could result in the country being left with another white elephant along the lines of P-Pars Software and Electronic Voting Machines. In this case, An Taisce believes that it is wise to bide our time until the results of the Danish trials are available.
275kV Lines
This voltage is used in Northern Ireland and in order to connect to their transmission system 42km of this line is currently in use at the Louth border. None of this is undergrounded.
220kV Lines
220kV lines join with the 400kV lines to form the backbone of our Grid system. There are 1,725kms of overhead wires at this voltage. 104kms are underground cables.
110kV Lines
3,905 kms of overhead wires at this voltage are currently in use. 53 kms of underground cables are in use however it is becoming more and more feasible to underground this voltage.