Vol. 437 No. 6
505 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications when the Whitegate refinery modernisation programme will be completed; its cost; whether he has satisfied himself that the work will give the plant the most modern and technologically advanced refining capacity possible in order that Whitegate could withstand the competition from other refineries for the foreseeable future, and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The investment programme for Whitegate refinery which is currently being undertaken by the Irish National Petroleum Corporation will cost IR£26 million and will be completed in 1996. The investments allied with marketing initiatives will enable the refinery to compete at market prices from the end of 1996. A joint venture proposal for a major upgrade of the refinery costing circa IR£100 million which would enable Whitegate to operate fully on a technological par with modern European refineries is also being pursued. For reasons of commercial confidentiality, further details of this proposal cannot be released at this stage.
