ELECTRICITY IMPROVEMENTS ESSENTIAL FOR DONEGAL'S PROSPERITY SAYS NWCCI CHAIRMAN

North West Chambers of Commerce Initiative chairman, Niall Birthistle says he welcomes ESB-EirGrid's consultation process on the future of the electricity supply network for Donegal.

"I am greatly encouraged by the start of this process", Mr. Birthistle said. "This is the beginning of a process which should result in the development of a greatly improved electrical transmission network for Donegal."

He added : "NWCCI met with ESB officials in May and discussed their plans at length and I would encourage all interested parties to come forward and play a positive role in the consultation process. These improvements are essential to the economic prosperity of Donegal and will have a real impact on the ability of the county to compete for direct inward investment. For too long the Donegal has lagged behind the rest of the State in terms of infrastructure such as this."

Mr Birthistle's comments follow the launch of a consultation process by ESB-EirGrid to discuss their plans for improvements to the electrical transmission infrastructure of Donegal. EirGrid proposes to invest up to €2 billion in network improvements across the State. Improvements to the main backbone links in Donegal are a high priority for the company and are seen as essential by many in the business community.

NWCCI is an umbrella organisation representing 6 Chamber of Commerce in, Letterkenny, Gweedore, Strabane, Londonderry, Roe Valley and Coleraine. As a collective, the organisation lobby for the business community in the North West of the Island of Ireland and work towards securing improvements for the betterment of the regional economy.