North-South electricity interconnector gets green light

 

             EirGrid plans to construct almost 300 pylons in Meath, Cavan and Monaghan

An Bord Pleanála has given the green light to EirGrid's plans to build a new North-South electricity interconnector.

The interconnector is due to run from Batterstown in Meath, to Turleenan in Co Tyrone.

EirGrid's proposal to construct almost 300 pylons in Meath, Cavan and Monaghan was objected to by around 200 landowners on health and environment grounds.

The decision to grant approval, with conditions, follows a 12-week oral hearing into the development earlier this year.

Residents opposed to the plan were notified this morning.

The Chief Executive of Eirgrid has welcomed the decision by An Bord Pleanála, describing the interconnector as a "critical piece of national infrastructure". 

Speaking on RTÉ News at One, Fintan Slye said he recognises that there are concerns and issues among landowners and community groups. He said that Eirgrid is committed to continuing to work with them to try and address their concerns.

Mr Slye said he expects a favourable decision on planning permission for the northern element of the project in the new year. He said that it has to go due process, but Eirgrid have put forward the most appropriate solution.

An Bord Pleanála inspector Breda Gannon approved planning permission for 299 pylons but set out nine conditions for the planning.

The inspector also noted the findings of the Health Service Executive that there should be no concern about the electromagnetic fields surrounding the pylons as long as the interconnector is properly monitored and operated in line with international standards.  

Giving their reaction, the North East Pylon Pressure Campaign Committee said they were bitterly disappointed that their concerns over health and the environment were not taken into consideration.

Padráig Reilly from the committee said they still believed that the high voltage lines could go underground and EirGrid would now find itself in an impossible situation trying to negotiate with up to 200 landowners who are opposed to the interconnector.

Reacting to the decision, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that An Bord Pleanála is independent in its views.

He said: "It is a completely independent board. We have an all island energy market and these kinds of facilities are important for the economy north and south.

"But it's not for me to adjudicate on the independence of An Bord Pleanála."

Mr Kenny said he understands that it will go for a judicial review which will also be independent in its determination.

Full artice: RTE Dec 21 2016

Govt Chief Whip supports 'civil disobedience' over interconnector decision

Regina Doherty, who represents the Meath East constituency, said that she is 'bitterly disappointed' by An Board Pleanála's decision

Government Chief Whip Regina Doherty has said she will support farmers and landowners if they engage in "civil disobedience" to hamper the decision by An Bord Pleanála to give the green light to EirGrid's plans to build a new North-South electricity interconnector.

In a statement to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms Doherty said was "bitterly disappointed but not surprised" by the decision.

"I am particularly disappointed with the treatment by Eirgrid of the people of Cavan, Meath and Monaghan."

We are about to enter into a phase of civil disobedience to hamper the decision made by An Bord Pleanála and I fully support the farmers and landowners in that action.

Full Article: RTE Dec 22 2016

Truckload of Aran knitwear leaves Ireland for Belarus

Fruits of of Inis Oírr’s year-long charity ‘knitathon’ are bound for Minsk orphanage

Aran knitwear has graced the catwalks of Milan, Paris and New York but a very special truckload is making its way this week to an orphanage just outside Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

For almost a year, residents of the smallest of the Aran Islands, from aged 90 right down to the four-year-old girls and boys of Inis Oírr’s naíonra, or kindergarten, have taken out their bioráin cniotála (knitting needles) to knit scarves, gloves, sweaters, hats and socks for the charity initiative.

Last week the final stitch was made and the needles were put down. Some 400 items were laid out like a large multicoloured tapestry for people to admire at Scoil Náisiúnta Chaomháin .

They were delivered to the Monastery, Ennistymon last Sunday where Brother Liam O’Meara, a stalwart of the “Burren for Belarus” project which helps young victims of the Chernobyl disaster, had arranged to transport them across Europe to the orphanage.

The aim is to have the children wearing a little piece of Inis Oírr on Christmas Day. The clothing serves a real need in a city where temperatures can drop to minus 20 degrees.

Clicking needles

The “Inis Oírr for Belarus” project was the idea of the island’s public health nurse, Bairbre Uí­ Chualáin. “My sister in law, Elizabeth Feeney, is involved in charity work for Brother Liam. I had seen and admired the work,” she says.

“My own work puts me in touch with most of the people on Inis Oírr so I suggested to them on each call: why not knit garments for the orphans?”

There was a 90 per cent take-up, according to Bairbre. Instead of relaxing in front of the sitting room TV after tea, balls of wool were thrown on the floor and the clatter of clicking needles began filling the island’s homesteads.

Among those taking part were knitters of serious pedigree: the women of Comhar na nAosach (the association of seniors). All the schools on the island joined the effort too as did the pre-school. The children got to know how to do the plain stitch while their tutors or parents looked after the purl and the crossover.

Source: Irish Times Dec 22 2016

Chernobyl children arrive: ‘Christmas wouldn’t be the same without them’

A group of 39 children from Chernobyl have arrived at Dublin Airport with Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International group to spend the Christmas holidays in Ireland, thirty years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. Video: Bryan O'Brien

Heralded by cries of delight, cheers and tears, and serenaded with seasonal songs , the latest group of children from Belarus and Ukraine were welcomed to Ireland on Wednesday by their host families and Chernobyl Children International.

Thirty-nine children with special needs from the area affected by the fallout of the 1986 nuclear disaster, together with six carers, were led by Santa Claus, and charity founder Adi Roche, into the Dublin Airport arrivals hall to a raucous reception.

To those waiting on loved ones arriving for Christmas, there is a sign on the sliding door that separates the baggage collection area from the arrivals hall. “The best Christmas present ever is about to walk through these doors,” it says.

And when the children arrived, it was not at all clear who was more excited, them or their host families.

“Christmas wouldn’t be the same without Igor,” said Marie Cox from Mayo, shortly before rushing forward to embrace the 16-year-old in a wheelchair, smothering him with the motherly love she has given him for the past eight years during his twice yearly visits to Ireland.

“He is part of our family now,” said Marie. “We just love him so much at this stage. He’s our fifth son.”

Abandoned as a baby

Igor Shadkov, who is from Belarus and has multiple physical and mental disabilities, was abandoned as a baby and left to the Vesnova Children’s Mental Asylum, a Soviet-era institution at Gomel near the Belarus-Ukraine border long since modernised.

The limitations of his life beyond his various birth conditions were painfully obvious when he first came to the Coxes.

“He had never been out of the orphanage,” recalls Marie. “He’d never experienced wind, he’d never felt rain on his face. He hadn’t seen the stars and he’d never slept in his own room.”

Since then, he has had his own space in their Castlebar home, including his own box filled with toys and familiar gadgets that are there for him, every Christmas and summer.

His face lit up in the airport when he saw his Irish mother.

For Eileen Morrisey from Kilkenny, Vassili Lyskovets, aged 25, is her “superstar”, always smiling and “another brother to Orla”, her daughter.

Eileen’s friend Carmel Everard, also from Kilkenny, plays host to 12-year-old Ivan who comes from Khoniki on the Ukraine-Belarus border. It was one of the areas worst affected by the fallout. Ivan has just one kidney and struggles on a poor diet back home.

Greeting and hugging

“He’s eating and drinking everything that’s bad out there,” said Carmel, “and so we try to feed him well. Within two days, there’s an improvement in his skin pallor.”

The families surged forward, greeting and hugging the delighted arrivals as the eight-strong choir of students from Bimm, the British and Irish Modern Music institute, Dublin, gave it their all.

Source: Irish Times Dec 22 2016

Southern Water fined record £2m for sewage leak on Kent beaches

Thanet council forced to close beaches for nine days due to ‘catastrophic’ leakage and public health concerns

‘The message must go out to directors and shareholders that repeated offending of this nature is wholly unacceptable,’ said Judge Adele Williams. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Southern Water has been fined a record £2m for flooding beaches in Kent with raw sewage, leaving them closed to the public for nine days.

The Environment Agency called the event “catastrophic”, while the judge at Maidstone crown court said on Monday that Southern Water’s repeat offending was “wholly unacceptable”. The company apologised unreservedly, as it did when fined £200,000 in 2013 for similar offences.

Southern Water’s wastewater pumping station at Margate suffered a series of failures in late May and early June 2012, which left it unable to cope with heavy rain. As a result raw sewage poured on to beaches, which were left strewn with tampons, condoms and other debris and cost more than £400,000 to clean up.

Due to health concerns, Thanet district council was forced to close beaches for nine consecutive days, including the Queen’s diamond jubilee bank holiday weekend. There were further illegal discharges from the pumping station in 2014, again forcing beach closures.

Water companies have been the most frequent polluters of beaches and rivers in England. After criticism that fines were too low to be deterrents to these highly profitable companies, the sentencing guidelines were increased significantly in July 2014. However, it is still too early to tell if pollution incidents are now reducing.

Judge Adele Williams, who imposed the £2m fine – almost double the previous highest, said: “The message must go out to directors and shareholders that repeated offending of this nature is wholly unacceptable.” She said Southern Water’s problems at Margate had first been identified in 2010.

The company was prosecuted by the Environment Agency (EA), which in court described the incident as “catastrophic”. Julie Foley, the EA’s area manager, said: “Southern Water unlawfully discharged huge volumes of sewage on to the beach and into the sea. [This] resulted in risk to public health, polluted a considerable length of coastline, including numerous beaches, and resulted in a negative impact on Thanet, which is an area heavily reliant on the local tourism economy.”

Southern Water’s director, Simon Oates, said: “We apologise unreservedly for the failure of the wastewater pumping station at Foreness Point near Margate. Since 2012 we have invested £4m in the site and have a further £6m investment plan.”

“This is clearly a regrettable incident which impacted on the area and I am pleased that Southern Water has taken full responsibility for it today,” said Madeline Homer, CEO of Thanet district council. “I am, however, encouraged that in recent years Southern Water has made significant investment to improve the site and is taking a much more collaborative approach.”

Water companies have been frequently criticised for making huge profits and awarding large shareholder dividends, while paying little or no corporation tax. In October 2015, the National Audit Office found that an £800m windfall for water companies had not been passed on to consumers.

In 2015-16, Southern Water made an operating profit of £284m, representing 35% of its turnover. Judge Williams fined the company £500,000 in 2014 for another sewage pollution incident in Kent, while in 2015 the company was fined £187,000 for allowing 40m litres of untreated sewage to pour into the sea near East Worthing.

In September, Southern Water was named as the most complained-against water company in the country, for the fourth year a row. The company is owned by a consortium of private equity and infrastructure investors and pension funds.

Source: Guardian Dec 19 2016