Vol. 526 No. 5
26 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if, in regard to his statement of 23 October 2000, he will outline the manner in which he plans to pursue the issue of gas supplies for the north west; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26921/00]
As the western region's representative in Government I am pursuing with my colleagues, the Minister for Public Enterprise, Deputy O'Rourke, and the Minister of State, Deputy Jacob, the question of progressing gas supply options for the west and advancing economic development in that area.
The configuration of gas pipelines will be a matter in the first instance for Bord Gáis and the Minister for Public Enterprise. In this connection, I recently met with the Bord Gáis chief executive officer, Mr. Gerry Walsh, and requested that a natural gas supply, be made available to towns adjacent to the pipeline between Pollatomish, County Mayo and Craughwell, County Galway to link with the proposed ring main from Dublin to Galway. The response to this request was positive and towns such as Castlebar, Claremorris, Tuam and Athenry will receive natural gas. The Dublin Galway ringmain will also bring natural gas heating to 150,000 homes in Galway city and Oranmore and facilitate gas powered electricity generation in Connaught.
In addition, I will pursue the building of a further pipeline from Pollatomish via Ballina to Sligo to service towns in north Connaught as a first phase of bringing a gas supply to the whole north west region. Bord Gáis have indicated that this will require further Government investment. I can say that the Government is committed to ensuring that the necessary pipeline infrastructure is in place to bring gas to customers, both domestic and commercial in the west.
BGÉ is already committed to connecting the natural gas network to as many major towns as can be reached within their commercial mandate. In addition to providing a gas supply to certain towns in the catchment area of the proposed pipeline and spur-line, I understand that BGÉ is examining the prospect of supplying gas to other centres of population in the north west as part of a national study to determine centres that can be supplied with gas on an economic basis. When this assessment has been completed, a fuller picture as to the costs and viability of such extensions will emerge.
I am anxious to ensure that, as happened in Cork with the Kinsale gas field, the availability of gas in the western region is used to promote the location of industry in that part of Ireland. My priority is to see the extension of the gas network and a new supply off the west coast used to accelerate economic development in the Border, midland and western region.
