A new study is to look again at the possibility of bringing natural gas from the Corrib gas field to Sligo and Donegal.
In 2000 Bord Gáis said any connection from the Mayo gas pipeline to Donegal would be "out of the question in the short to medium term", while any connection to Sligo town would be with reduced volumes of gas.
However, the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has now advertised on the Government's e-tendering website for consultants to reassess the option.
The study will provide Donegal with "a second chance to get natural gas infrastructure", according to Dr Helen McHenry of the Western Development Commission (WDC).
The study will examine the feasibility of bringing gas from the Mayo-Galway pipeline to Sligo and on to Donegal town. It will also look at the possibility of gas-fired electricity generating stations at a number of locations in the northwest, including Cathleen Falls in Donegal.
The new study follows last year's decision not to extend a gas pipeline across the Border from Derry to Letterkenny, which disappointed development campaigners in the northwest.
Campaigners, including the western commission, have highlighted the need for less developed regions to be connected to the grid as a proactive measure to boost industrial development.
Dr McHenry, who is a policy analyst with the WDC, said less developed regions should be given "due consideration" in energy policies, so they can "compete for inward investment and to grow indigenous enterprise".
Following the recent industrial closures, "it is particularly important that Donegal has a robust energy infrastructure", she said.
Dr McHenry was speaking in Letterkenny at a briefing for local interest groups on Donegal's energy infrastructure.
The briefing informed regional interests about present policy in relation to gas and electricity infrastructure and updated them on the WDC's work on energy.
Dr McHenry's presentation to county council officials, Ibec, local chambers of commerce and cross-Border interests highlighted policies that affect energy infrastructure in the region and the ways they need to change.
