Pictured at the natural Gas Seminar in the Killyhelvin Hotel are from leftTom Elliott MLA UUP, Alastair Pollock Phoenix Natural Gas Maurice Morrow MLA DUP and Phil Flanagan MLA Sinn Fein
THE availability of natural gas in County Fermanagh could come as soon as 2014, it appears, following the visit of major natural gas provider to the county this week.
Natural gas powers hundreds of thousands of buildings across the North, however, has yet to become available in Fermanagh.
In January of this year, following a consultation earlier, the Stormont executive gave the green light to the expansion, with proposed ‘new’ areas including Dungannon, Cookstown, Enniskillen including Derrylin, Omagh and Strabane.
Now, a consultation entitled ‘Gas to the West’, and managed by the Utility Regulator and the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, is looking at how that could become a reality, and that consultation closes in just seven days time (May 29).
The paper seeks the views of interested parties on how the competitive process to award the necessary gas conveyance licence(s) should be conducted. It is intended that the necessary licence(s) will be granted in early 2014.
It is not yet known which companies will carry out the work, but Phoenix Natural Gas, who held the seminar this week, are one of the companies on record as having registered their interest in looking at the project.
“The big problem is that we have only three basic sources of fuel, one being oil, the other being electricity, and the other wood pellets,” explained SDLP Councillor, Frank Britton, who attended the event.
“But the majority of people are using oil and electricity as a main source,” he said.
“They can be expensive for people and are actually impoverishing people.”
Cllr Britton suggested that increased competition between big companies due to the introduction of natural gas could lead to a decrease in the cost of fuel as a whole – and appeared supportive of the idea.
“Natural gas would give people, certainly in Enniskillen, a third major option. The cost is said to be considerably cheaper, and it could do a lot to deal with extortionate pricing and help deal with fuel poverty,” he said.
And, he didn’t rule out the potential of natural gas in bringing jobs to the county.
“From a business point of view, anything that helps to reduce business costs would be welcomed.
“There could be a boost in jobs, it’s hard to quantify, but it could give business more buoyancy and sustainability which could only be a good thing in that regard.”
“It is anticipated that a new gas licence will be awarded in 2014 and the work on development of new transmission pipelines is expected to commence at that point. ”
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