asked the Minister for Energy the plans he has for a fair proportion of the Kinsale gas to be piped to the west of Ireland in view of the fact that the greatest scope for industrial development is in that area.
Written Answers. - Kinsale Gas Supply for West.
313.
I have no immediate plans to pipe Kinsale gas to the west of Ireland. The economic rationale for extending the Cork system would be to capture premium gas markets of substantial size and I have, therefore, given priority to the detailed examination of the feasibility of piping Kinsale gas to the established premium market in the Dublin area. Given the need to make the best use of available indigenous fuels, the target markets for Kinsale gas must, in the first instance, be the premium domestic, commercial and institutional cooking and heating loads. The exploitation, in the initial stages, of large available markets such as these not only provide the optimum economic basis on which to finance the extension of the gas system but it is also the most efficient use of the gas in energy terms.
I would not rule out the possibility of further expansion of the gas distribution system in the event of the Cork-Dublin pipeline proving economically viable. The development of a gas distribution system in the west of Ireland would be given full consideration in such a context, as indeed would all other areas.