Bord Gais has been strongly criticised by the Council for the West over its plans to spend £200 million laying a pipeline from Dublin to Ennis while making no provision to supply gas to the north-west or Border counties.
The council chairwoman, Ms Marian Harkin, said it was "totally unacceptable" that the State body would consider spending u£200 million without considering the needs of the less competitive western and Border areas. This would add to the area's economic alienation.
"We have had so many promises of balanced development. The White Paper on Regional Development spoke of rural proofing, but where is the rural proofing in this?" On Tuesday, Bord Gais unveiled plans to construct a pipeline from north Co Dublin to Galway and Ennis. The line will connect with its existing grid in Co Limerick and will bring gas to a number of towns in Galway and the midlands.
Ms Harkin said a map showing the existing and proposed gas lines was exactly the same as others showing the location of foreign investment in the State, where most economic activity was south of a line from Galway to Drogheda.
The availability of natural gas, particularly for industry, was vital if all the counties in the Objective 1 area were to be competitive with the rest of the State.
Ms Harkin accused Bord Gais of misleading people by suggesting that the west coast would be serviced with natural gas in the absence of a declaration that the Corrib Field was commercially viable. The chief executive of Bord Gais said it was up to Enterprise Oil to decide if it wanted to get into the Bord Gais pipeline, but that its extension to Galway would bring it "closer to the assumed landfall" if the field was found to be commercially viable.