THE ELECTRICITY Supply Board has confirmed that a “bog slide” occurred in north Mayo during works to facilitate the Corrib gas onshore pipeline over the bank holiday weekend.
No one is reported to have been injured, but some 1,600 customers in the Erris area experienced power cuts when five ESB poles were swept off the road.
Mayo County Council said only one pole was dislodged in a “movement” which it said was not a bog slide.
The incident occurred several miles from the Corrib refinery site during upgrading of the L1202 Ballingelly to Pollathomas road at about 11am last Saturday morning.
Local authority workers were said to have had a narrow escape, as some 10 lorries and a digger were on site when the roadside collapsed, leaving a large crater.
Pollathomas resident and hostel owner Ms Betty Schult, who was travelling along the route at the time, said that crater was about three metres deep, and the bog slide extended along about 200 metres.
The slide occurred just eight kilometres from Dooncarton mountain, where a landslide in 2003 swept part of a graveyard at Pollathomas into the sea and forced residents to leave their houses.
Shell EP Ireland is funding a €3 million upgrade of the road network by Mayo County Council to facilitate works on the landfall for the Corrib gas pipeline beyond Pollathomas at Glengad.
The road runs alongside Sruwaddaccon Bay, which is a special area of conservation (SAC), and residents have already raised concerns about the absence of an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the work.
The ESB said that the bog slide near Aughoose cut power to 1,600 customers for several hours, and some 500 customers had no power until late on Saturday. Its crews effected temporary repairs, and a generator was brought in early on Sunday morning to allow technicians to switch customers to an alternative supply.
Mayo council said last night that the road was closed for several hours on Saturday to facilitate what it called the “diversion” of a power line.
Ms Schult had a hostel full of divers staying for the holiday weekend when the power outage occurred. She said that residents in the Pollathomas and Aughoose areas had already sought legal advice about the road upgrade, having been told that it was taking place for “health and safety reasons”. “We have no problem with road improvements in this area, but a lot of hedgerows are being destroyed, birdlife disturbed, and there is no EIS.
“Mayo County Council has told us that it has to do this work for Shell, but it is virtually handing over this road running along an SAC to the company,” she said.
Shell EP Ireland said yesterday that it had no comment to make on claims by Labour Party president Michael D Higgins that legislation approved by former marine minister Frank Fahey for the original onshore pipeline route was flawed.
Mr Higgins has said that a review of all legislation relating to the controversial project may now be necessary. The company has applied for permission for a modified pipeline route under the new Strategic Infrastructure Act.
The company has announced the retirement of its managing director and country chairman, Andy Pyle, who is due to complete a 32-year career in Shell on May 31st.
Shell EP Europe’s vice-president technical John Gallagher said that Mr Pyle had had a “long and fruitful career” with Shell, and had applied his “great energy and made a significant personal commitment to the Corrib gas project” during the past six years.
