There is considerable anger among politicians and the business community in Longford after confirmation that the town and county will not be connected to the natural gas network in the immediate future.
Lobbying has been underway for some years to bring natural gas to Longford for the benefit of local people and to put it on the map for inward investment. But it now appears the hope of linking a "spur" line from the planned Galway ring main, during the construction phase at least, has been dashed.
Bord Gáis confirmed that Longford town was not included in the first phase of towns to receive a gas supply from the transmission pipeline to the west.
However, the company said detailed engineering and technical evaluation of the town was "on-going". "If the outcome of the evaluation process shows Longford to be economically viable, Bord Gais is confident that it will receive a gas supply by the beginning of 2004," a statement said.
However, Longford Chamber of Commerce members were furious at the news, which they say became apparent to them only during an interview with the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, on local radio recently. They held an emergency meeting last week to discuss the issue.
Mr Tom Crosbie, president of the chamber, said it came as "a great surprise and disappointment" to his members and all those who had put in a great effort over the last two or three years to secure a gas pipeline for the town and county.
"The source is off the Mayo coast and the direct route for the pipeline would be along the N5 to Dublin. It would go through Longford, but of course that has been diverted away to serve Athlone and Mullingar."
"It's certainly viewed in the area and in the county that the minister who had the final say in this is the Minister for Public Enterprise." However, a spokesman for the Department of Public Enterprise said the decision on the pipeline had been taken by An Bord Gais alone and the choice of route was "entirely for commercial reasons". "We had no hand, act or part in this decision." Mr Crosbie said Longford was one of the Border, midlands and west (BMW) counties which have been targeted for infrastructural investment in government and EU policy.
"It's a very negative approach to take this natural gas energy away from the county," he said. The cost of natural gas to industry and business was "at least 25 per cent" less than other forms of energy. "This leaves the counties of the BMW region at a competitive disadvantage."
The Chamber of Commerce had made a "huge effort" by way of lobbying Bord Gáis and Oireachtas members, Mr Crosbie added. The chamber has now written to the minister asking for an urgent meeting and calling for a study of energy needs to be carried out in Longford. Ms Peggy Nolan, a Fine Gael councillor on the UDC, said it was "outrageous" that Longford was not to be connected to the gas main in this phase.
"We are in the BMW region and we should be getting funding for these jobs," she said. "We are smack in the middle of Tullamore, Athlone and Mullingar and all of them will be served by the main gas line."