Bord Gais has named the ten towns that will be connected to the new €400m Galway-Dublin gas pipeline. They are Galway, Ennis, Clarecastle, Oranmore, Ballinasloe, Athlone, Clara, Tullamore, Mullingar and Enfield.
The Chief Executive of Bord Gáis, Gerry Walsh, said that priority had been given to towns "which were in close proximity to the transmission pipeline, or which were significant demand centres for natural gas". He said that the possibility of connecting other towns along the route and in the Northwest is being evaluated.
Since the pipeline was first announced in 1999 scores of towns along the route have been lobbying to be linked to the network. An Bord Gais says that it will probably be mid-2003 before any of the towns will have natural gas on tap.
Politicians, local development groups and industrialists sought to influence the company as it carried out a detailed analysis on the commercial viability of linking the various towns to the ring main.
Construction work on the 300km pipeline, which will run from Ballaugh in North Dublin to Ennis, began last week and is expected to be complete by the end of the year. Up to 600 will be employed during the construction phase.
Meanwhile Longford Chamber of Commerce has said it is extremely disappointed that the gas pipeline will not be passing through the town. President of the Chamber, Tom Crosby, said that Natural Gas would have been of immense importance in attracting new industry to the town.
