11 towns and villages in the West of Ireland are to be added to the natural gas grid at a cost of €40m.
The announcement was made today by the Minister for the Marine and Natual Resources Noel Dempsey.
The gas will be delivered through a 150 km pipeline which has been built to link the Corrib Gas field off the Mayo coast to the Bord Gais network near Craughwell in Co. Galway.
Gas from this large well had 80 km off the Mayo coast should be coming ashore about now - if the original plans for the development of the Corrib Field had materialised. But because of ongoing local objections that project is still bogged down in controversy.
However this pipeline built by an Board Gais across the Galway and Mayo countryside has been completed and instead of taking gas from the Corrib Field into the national grid it will now be used to bring gas to as many as 11 towns and villages in the region.
The decision - taken after consultations with the Commission for Energy Regulation and An Bord Gais to add the towns in Galway and Mayo to the national grid follows a strong campaign by the Western Development Commission and local politicians.
An Board Gais already supplies natural gas to over 500,000 customers in more 100 towns and cities.
The eleven new towns that are viable are Athenry, Craughwell, Headford and Tuam in Co. Galway and Ballina, Ballyhaunis, Castlebar, Claremorris, Crossmolina, Knock and Westport in Co. Mayo.
The total capital expenditure involved in bringing gas to these towns will be approximately €40m.
'Bord Gáis will now develop a detailed construction programme for these network extensions and we expect to have gas in the first of these towns before the end of 2007. The remainder of the towns would then receive gas during 2008', said Gerry Walsh, CEO Bord Gáis.
