Written answers

Tuesday, 16 May 2006

Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

Energy Resources

9:00 pm

Photo of John GormleyJohn Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 75: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the advice he had received from the Western Development Commission, that development of gas processing at Rossport, County Mayo would mean many towns in the west, particularly in Mayo, would be connected to the gas network. [18170/06]

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I have not received any specific advice regarding development of gas processing at Rossport, County Mayo from the Western Development Commission (WDC). Furthermore, the Deputy will appreciate that this policy area is a matter for my colleague, Noel Dempsey T.D., Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.

As part of their overall brief, the WDC have, however, carried out research in this general area. They have looked at the issue of access by towns to the gas network generally which is run by Bord Gáis (BG), as the then Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) policy applied to towns all over Ireland and not just in the western counties.

The WDC's concerns about the then CER policy, the potential significance of the Corrib Gas find for towns in the West and fact that the BG Galway-Mayo pipeline is already under construction prompted them to co-fund a study undertaken by Enercomm International Energy Consultants for Ballina Chamber of Commerce. This study established the current energy demands in and around Ballina and estimated the potential demand for natural gas under different scenarios.

The study looked at the feasibility of Ballina acquiring a gas distribution supply using the current CER policy for the connection of new towns and also recommended changes to that policy which would give a fairer appraisal of feasibility and could lead to the connection of many towns in Mayo. I am arranging to have a copy of the study forwarded to the Deputy for his information.

In addition, the Deputy may wish to note that the CER recently approved Bord Gáis' (BG) new Connection Policy applicable to both the transmission and distribution networks. It is BG's intention to undertake a study to examine potential connections on foot of this new policy. It is planned to carry out this study in three phases over the next nine to twelve months, and a timetable and terms of reference are currently being drawn up. The bringing of gas to Mayo and the West of Ireland will be dependent on the outcome of this study.

Furthermore, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has commissioned a consultancy to determine the technical and economic feasibility of bringing gas from the Mayo-Galway pipeline to Donegal Town through Sligo, which shall include consideration of the following three alternative corridors: Via Ballina, Via Castlebar, Claremorris and Knock (Industrial Estate), or via Claremorris, Ballyhaunis and Ballaghadarreen.

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