The Shannon Pipeline project manager is confident that the costs will not be in excess of €10 billion.
This follows recent reports that the 170 kilometres of pipe running from the Parteen Basin in North Tipp to Dublin was likely to be far in excess of initial estimates.
If it becomes a reality 300 million litres of water would be extracted from the Shannon each day to address the critical water needs of the eastern and midlands region.
Uisce Éireann Shannon Pipeline Project Programme Manager Pat Murphy told Tipp Today earlier that the costs were not expected to be anywhere near the €10 billion mark.
“That is at the extreme end of the estimates and it is I suppose following the guidance for preparation of cost estimates under the Governments infrastructure guidelines. But we’re confident that will be in the range of €4.6 to €6 billion.
“We are aiming to deliver this project by 2032. There is a critical need to deliver the project and we are moving forward now this year to public consultation stage to finalise the planning application documents to get it into the planning process.”