Bord Gais has signed a #75 million (£59 million) contract with a German supplier for the natural gas pipeline to the midlands and west, which will involve 500 jobs during construction.
The contract with Thyssen Mannesmann, a major German steel pipe supplier, was signed in the presence of the Minister of State for Public Enterprise, Mr Joe Jacob, in Oranmore, Co Galway, last night. Dr Michael Conlon, chairman of Bord Gais, said it represented a "major milestone" in a project that, he said, "will bring one of the most environmentally friendly fuels to the midlands and west of Ireland".
Natural gas should be available in Galway by early 2003 and will have a "significant effect on the development of our national infrastructure", Dr Conlon said. It would also provide an incentive for industry and business, he added.
The #75 million contract is for the provision of a 335 kilometre steel pipe measuring 750 millimetres in diameter for the line from Dublin, Galway and Limerick. The contract followed a competitive tendering process, Bord Gais said.
