ESB addresses pole maintenance and storm impact in Leitrim

Members of the ESB attended March’s meeting of Manorhamilton Municipal District to discuss the condition and maintenance of their poles. Naturally, the conversation also turned to the impact of Storm Éowyn.

Last September, Cllr Felim Gurn proposed a motion requesting that the MD write to the ESB and Eircom, asking them to send engineers to assess the condition of their respective poles.

At last week’s meeting, ESB representatives Kevin Staunton (Area Manager), Mary Kehoe (Regional Manager) and Aodhagán Watters (Engineer) joined the discussion.

During a presentation, Mr Watters outlined that the Manorhamilton area has 400km of overhead network and 4,734 medium voltage poles, which are assessed on an ongoing basis in a three year cycle.

This year, seven rotten poles have been identified with 28 more scheduled for replacement.

Cllr Gurn however, challenged those figures, arguing that the actual number of rotten poles is significantly higher. “If you go down country roads, you can see far more than seven,” he said.

Mr Staunton assured members that any pole in immediate danger of collapse is replaced immediately, but also noted that in many cases when they respond to collapsed poles, the issue turns out to be with an Eircom line rather than the ESB network.

Regarding Storm Éowyn, Mr Staunton refuted claims that the wind had directly damaged the ESB infrastructure.

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“The wind didn’t bring down our networks,” he stated. “The wind brought down timber, and the timber brought down our networks.”

He highlighted the large volume of forestry in Leitrim as a key challenge.

He explained that in areas with forestry timber, there is a statutory 20-metre corridor - 10 metres on either side of the conductor - and acknowledged the difficulty in determining ownership of the land.

Ms Kehoe added that discussions are ongoing between their department and the Department of Agriculture on how best to address the forestry issue.

Separately, in February, Cllr Pádraig Fallon proposed a motion asking the MD to contact the Department of Housing about grant aid to help elderly and vulnerable households install generator switchover switches.

Addressing this, Mr Staunton clarified that while customers can arrange for generator switchover switches as long as they are regulated and safe, it is not something the ESB provides.

Finally, the ESB is looking into the possibility of establishing a designated contact number local representatives can use in similar situations, as communication during Storm Éowyn was a major issue.

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