Bord Gáis yesterday signed an agreement for construction of the Scottish section of a new gas interconnector between Ireland and Scotland.
The second interconnector linking the Republic with Scotland is expected to secure the Republic's gas energy supplies through the critical winter 2002-2003 period.
However, it also emerged yesterday that uncertainty still surrounds the timing of piped gas to parts of the west and north-west, despite ambitious plans for a new ring main linking Dublin, Galway, the Mayo coast, Limerick and Cork.
Announcing the agreement with Dumfries & Galloway Council, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency yesterday, Bord Gáis said it expects the new Ireland-Scotland interconnector to be in place by October of this year.
It will run almost parallel to the State's first gas interconnector, leaving south-west Scotland at Brighouse Bay and skirting north of the Isle of Man before coming ashore at Gormanston in north Co Dublin.
The increased supply will facilitate rapidly rising demand for natural gas as the first interconnector nears capacity. Without it there could be gas shortages next winter.
The Dublin-Galway section of the new ring main is to be in place by the end of the year, bringing piped gas to a number of towns along the route including Mullingar, Tullamore and Athlone.
However, while gas from the Corrib field will also feed into the ring main the position of towns throughout Mayo and the northwest is less than certain.
A spokesman for Bord Gáis said that while the Corrib field pipeline could be installed by 2004, it would be initially as a "direct main".
While Bord Gáis says it is "interested in evaluating all towns within its catchment area" towns such as Castlebar, Westport, Tuam and Claremorris will have to wait until after 2004 at least and then be subject to commercial evaluation.
Ballina and Crossmolina are also being examined as part of a possible grant-aided future pipeline to Sligo.
The spokesman emphasised that as a commercial body Bord Gáis would have to look at the financial building spurs to the Corrib field pipe.
The issue is one of concern to members of the Border, Midlands and Western Regional Assembly which has campaigned for access to the gas main, pointing out its advantages to industry as a relitively cheap, clean energy.
Bord Gáis is currently investing about €1 billion in its network and the second interconnector will result in a total investment of €292 million and the creation of over 250 construction jobs.
