Vol. 510 No. 1
38 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Public Enterprise when a decision will be made on whether to construct a second gas pipeline to the United Kingdom; if this decision will be taken in conjunction with consideration of whether to construct a Dublin to Belfast gas pipeline; and if these issues will be decided prior or subsequent to the outcome of the exploration process of gas from the Corrib field. [20804/99]
It clearly would be preferable to postpone a decision about the next increment of gas import infrastructure until the prospects for the Corrib field have been clarified. However, a prudent approach to security of supply dictates that the decision cannot be deferred indefinitely.
In late 1997 my Department and BGE jointly commissioned a study of natural gas demand and related infrastructural requirements to the year 2025. The consultants examined a range of options and recommended the provision of a second Scotland-Ireland interconnector as the optimal solution on cost and other grounds. Since the study was launched there have been a number of developments including the possibility of a commercial gas find in the Corrib field, the interest shown by a consortium in the provision of a North-South interconnector and by other parties in the provision of additional gas pipelines both to and within Ireland.
My Department engaged economic consultants to undertake an economic evaluation of the various supply options proposed under the Gas 2025 study and the other possibilities which I mentioned. The consultants confirmed the findings of the Gas 2025 study that a second Scotland-Ireland interconnector, parallel to the existing interconnector, was the preferred choice. However, they recommended that a decision on future supply infrastructure should not be taken until the position regarding the prospect for the commercial development of the Corrib field is clear. There is a wealth of material about this issue on my Department's website.
The primary initiative in relation to a new pipeline rests with BGE or any other player in the liberalised gas market.
