asked the Minister for Industry and Energy whether An Bord Gáis have considered the possibility of extending the proposed gas pipe line to Galway city; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Galway Gas Supplies.
131.
The Deputy will appreciate that the initiative to make more widespread use of our natural gas resources must be planned in stages. The construction and commissioning of the Cork/Dublin pipeline is the first stage and it is hoped to complete this by the end of the year.
Preliminary planning of further stages of the development are also in hand. Certain significant centres of population within a reasonable distance of the pipeline, in particular those with an existing towns gas supply, are being considered for the next stage of development and specific studies are in progress.
It is my intention to extend these planning studies to centres such as Galway and others beyond what might be considered the normal catchment area of the main pipeline but I am not now in a position to give a time-scale for completion of this planning work. The Deputy may be assured that I will be looking at the widest possible distribution of natural gas. In doing so I will have to take account of the economics of connecting particular centres and, in this regard, the potential demand will be an important factor.