WORK began yesterday on the laying of a new £1.3 million electricity cable to Cape Clear which ensures the west Cork island community will have a supply system which meets EU standards well into the next century.
The project, which is 50 per cent funded by the EU, will meet the increased electricity demand on the island.
Demand among the 110 ESB customers has increased in line with the national average, jumping by 26 per cent in the last five years.
The new cable will replace the diesel generators which have supplied the bulk of the island's electrical power for many years. It will also supplement the electricity generated by the island's two wind turbines.
Some 125 tonnes of 4 ft cable will be laid on the seabed at more than two metres below lowest tide. Normal sea motion will bury the cable within months. The cable is designed to be safely earthed should a boat's gear become entangled in it.
