TUV Mourne Councillor Henry Reilly has called on NIE to abandon the North South electricity interconnector proposal and concentrate on upgrading the Moyle interconnector between Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Mr Reilly made his suggestion after a presentation by Northern Ireland Electricity at which the NIE Networks operations manager Rodney Ballentine responded to questioning from Cllr Reilly by suggesting that if we do not get a reliable interconnector up and running for 2020 we could face power blackouts.
Commenting after the meeting Councillor Reilly said:
“I made it clear that my concern was that the massive degree of opposition to the over ground infastructure associated with the North-South interconnector will inevitably delay the scheme. Additionally, if it has to be undergrounded – at five times the cost – then the Northern Ireland electricity consumer will end up paying a premium price for power.
“It is obviously better to upgraded and improve capacity for the Moyle interconnector which could be done at a fraction of the cost and would guarantee a stable supply of electricity well into the future. I fear that a lot of the drive towards an all Ireland electricity network is being fostered for political reasons rather that what is good for Northern Ireland consumers.
“For years TUV has been highlighting the raw deal which people are receiving as a result of the drive towards a single electricity market on the island of Ireland. This policy is driven by the disregard which both the Belfast Agreement and the EU have for international borders.
“Back in June 2014, for example, TUV issued a statement which pointed out that before the single, all-Ireland electricity market was introduced there was a trend towards Northern Ireland electricity costs converging with the lower prices in Great Britain. Since it has been introduced the trend has been towards the higher electricity prices in the Republic. These are facts supported by data released in response to Assembly questions by DETI.
“We need to put a stop to the madness where political considerations are leading to a raw deal for the Northern Ireland consumer”.