EIRGRID IS to lodge a planning application within two weeks for a new high-voltage power line in Co Donegal.
The 100km line from south of Killybegs to Letterkenny is one of a series of regional upgrades for which EirGrid is to seek planning permission over coming years as part of its strategy to double the capacity of its network.
The Donegal line, at 110KV, is one of the lower capacity lines the State agency is hoping to instal. There are already two 110KV lines linking the northwest to Northern Ireland, one from Letterkenny to Strabane, Co Tyrone, and one from Corraclassy, Co Cavan, to Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh.
The new Donegal line will provide extra capacity in the northwest and facilitate domestic and local development in the county.
The agency said it was also planning a 400KV line into Co Mayo which would allow for the development of heavy and high-technology industry there. This line would also carry electricity from renewable sources, including wind farms in Co Mayo, into the national grid.
No route for the Mayo power line has yet been selected, but a spokesman said €750 million would be invested in the network between Cos Galway and Donegal up to 2025.
According to EirGrid, the northwest was particularly rich in wind and ocean-energy potential, and as well as exploiting this resource the agency expected demand for energy to rise by 60 per cent by 2025. Grid development in the region would include extension of the 220KV network to Sligo and further cross-Border tie-ins.
It said the moves mean the northwest would be able to exploit its renewable energy potential and was likely to become a net exporter of power.
