Eirgrid has said that a number of landowners have signed up to its offer of compensation to allow pylons and overhead lines be built on their land for the North-South Interconnector.
The interconnector would link the electricity grids of Ireland and Northern Ireland with a 138km line and 407 pylons through the counties of Meath, Cavan, Monaghan, Armagh and Tyrone.
There would be 100km and 306 pylons in the Republic of Ireland.
The plan has faced great opposition among landowners and communities in the affected counties for more than 15 years.
Last night, around 300 people attended a public meeting in Kells, Co Meath, which was organised by the North East Pylon Pressure Committee (NEPPC).
The meeting urged the community and landowners to stick together.
It heard that the "scale and strength of landowner and community solidarity had not waned", and that the campaign would do everything it could to stop the overhead lines.
Campaigners have long called for the project to be put underground, something Eirgrid said is not viable because it would require too much power carried over too far a distance.
In recent weeks, Eirgrid wrote to around 400 affected landowners with details of the compensation payments on offer, including €50,000 per pylon and €160 per metre of overhead lines.
Its liaison officers have since been visiting landowners in person and up to the end of last week, said it had met more than 180 of the 400 involved.
Eirgrid said a number of landowners had signed up, although it did not confirm how many. It acknowledged that some landowners did not want to engage.
Chief Infrastructure Officer Michael Mahon said: "We visited a number of landowners to date who have clearly indicated to us that they don't want to talk to us. On that basis, we have noted that on the file and moved on.
"There are other landowners we have engaged with who are actively interested in moving forward, some have signed forms, some want to talk to a solicitor or have time to think about it and have asked us to call back again.
"We feel we have an obligation to talk to all of the landowners on this because we are asking them to host the infrastructure for the life of the project."
NEPPC spokesperson Padraig O'Reilly said that for some, the visits were unwanted.
"It's a very annoyed set of farmers at the moment," he said.
"Eirgrid have been requested not to go directly unannounced and visit landowners, that they should come through NEPP and other organisations. They're very annoyed at this," he said.
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Nigel Hillis from Cremartin, Co Monaghan, is one of the landowners who received a letter outlining the compensation.
"I have just wires going over my land, I don’t have any pylons, but there's pylons on each side of the land to get the wires across. They're going to be a complete eyesore.
"I think the bottom line was €27,000. There's no way I'm going to take that, no way I'm going to take the money, no way," he said.
Liaison officers called to Catherine Hannon's farm in Drumree, Co Meath.
"To tell you the truth, we ran them, because they have been unwilling to consider what farmers, landowners want all along, so why should we entertain the idea of taking money?" she said.
The engagement process will continue until February.
Approval to be sought for compulsory purchase orders
For those landowners who do not sign up to the compensation package, Eirgrid said it would then move to the statutory process, where it will seek approval from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities for compulsory purchase orders to access the land.
The meeting heard several questions on this process from the crowd, and also from people who voiced their concerns around health impacts.
Mr Mahon said that studies have been carried out in relation to electromagnetic fields, and have demonstrated "there is no concern, there is no risk".
"The actual level of EMF coming off an overhead line is very small and minimal.
"It won't affect anyone living in the proximity of the line. There's other things like your mobile phone which emits more EMF than an overhead line," he said.
It is planned that building the interconnector will start at the end of next year, with contracts for pylon suppliers already awarded, and tenders out for overhead lines and construction.
Now, the NEPPC is starting the next phase of its campaign.
"For the last 15 years we have been trying to get Eirgrid to consider undergrounding and to show it can work and happens in other countries, and now is happening in Kildare and Meath," Mr Reilly said.
"They have refused to change their view, likewise the Government have supported Eirgrid to the hilt on this project.
"Unfortunately, we see no point in trying to convince with the undergrounding and our campaign from tonight on will be how to stop the overhead line, because we believe it's absolutely not necessary and is the wrong way to go."
Both Eirgrid and the NEPPC have said they want to meet to discuss the issues.
The meeting heard that people felt Government parties had let down the northeast down on the issue.
A number of opposition TDs attended and addressed the meeting, including Sinn Féin's Matt Carthy and Johnny Guirke and Aontú's Peadar Tóibín.
