Vol. 551 No. 4
65 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the reason Castlebar, Westport, Ballina or Crossmolina were not included for gas supply in the recent announcement; if these towns meet the criteria; when an announcement for gas supply to these towns will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10825/02]
Under the Gas Acts, 1976 to 2000, Bord Gáis Éireann has statutory responsibility to develop and maintain an efficient and cost effective gas transmission and distribution system. Extensions to the transmission system require my consent whereas extensions of the distribution network fall exclusively within the day to day responsibilities of the board.
The commercial criteria that BGE apply to potential new connections to the natural gas network are primarily driven by the distance of the town from the transmission network and the projected gas load from housing and industrial-commercial customers. The company endeavours to ascertain the current and future projected gas load for the towns, and regularly update these figures by liaising with interested local parties such as building contractors and the county councils.
I have been advised by Bord Gáis that it is actively considering connections to towns from the proposed Mayo-Galway pipeline, which include Castlebar and Westport. As the Deputy is aware the Government decided in principle in September 2001 to extend the gas transmission system to Sligo via Ballina. Crossmolina is one of a number of towns being looked at afresh in this context.
