Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 January 2005
420 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the reason it took Bord Gáis one hour and ten minutes to respond to a gas explosion at a location (details supplied) on 2 November, 2003. [1439/05]
View answer421 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will make a statement on the progress of the accelerated programme for cast iron mains promised in the aftermath of the gas explosion at a location (details supplied). [1440/05]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 420 and 421 together.
In the first instance, it is an operational matter for Bord Gáis Éireann, BGE, under the supervision of the Commission for Energy Regulation, CER, to arrange the safety of its natural gas network and this includes works to upgrade the network or to replace cast iron pipes. I am aware that gas safety is a high priority for BGE.
The report of the independent investigation of the Rathfarnham explosion of 2 November 2003 was published by the Commission for Energy Regulation on 25 November 2003. Regarding the response time, the report states that Bord Gáis's response to the publicly reported escape from No. 22 Glendoher Close was within the one-hour criterion, as set out in Bord Gáis's customer service escape procedure.
Among the recommendations in the report published by the CER, all of which were accepted by the commission was that BGE should put in place a parallel programme of cast iron mains replacement in areas where the ground was known to be liable to subsidence. BGE had been engaged in systematically replacing the older networks over the past 17 years. Two-thirds of the older networks have been replaced with modern polyethylene pipes. Prior to the incident it had been intended to replace the remainder of the system over a ten to 15 year period. During 2004, BGE developed a plan in conjunction with the CER to renew the final third of the system over the next five years. Some 112 km of cast iron main was replaced in 2004. Bord Gáis proposes to renew approximately 200 km of cast iron main during 2005 with all remaining cast iron pipes due for renewal by end of 2009.
