Delivery Underway in Strabane
12 November 2015

A milestone step was taken this week in the delivery of 'Gas to the West' of Northern Ireland when work began on the construction of two sections of the pipeline between Maydown and Strabane.

The event was marked by the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane Cllr Elisha McCallion, at an informal gathering in Ballymagorry.

Danny O'Malley, Director, SGN Natural Gas said the start of the pipeline construction signals a major boost to energy users throughout the west of Northern Ireland.

"Working with Mutual Energy we were awarded the licences to extend the natural gas network into the west of Northern Ireland and we're pleased work is now underway. The extension of the network means home owners and businesses in and around Strabane will have access to an alternative form of energy. Customers will be able to take advantage of the gas network from late 2016."

The work is being delivered locally by McNicholas Construction on behalf of SGN Natural Gas and will commence on Trench Road and Leckpatrick Road up until December, and will continue on the remainder of the pipeline route through to the end of 2016.

Any major project such as this will involve some disruption and we are coordinating with the roads services, utility companies and many other agencies to ensure this is kept to a minimum. We will ensure residents and businesses in the locality of the works will be kept up to date on progress separately and commuters will be kept well informed. A 24hr contact number will be displayed at the work sites to ensure anyone with a query can easily make contact with us.

Our planned working hours during the construction will be 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday as agreed with the local authorities. These times may change as the project progresses and occa-sional Sunday working may be required but this will be kept to a minimum.

Danny O’Malley, SGN Natural Gas; Mayor of Derry & Strabane Cllr Elisha McCallion; Environment Minister Mark H.Durkan, MLA and Cormac O’Donnell, McNicholas Construction.

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District, Councillor Elisha McCallion, said: "I’m delighted to see the work commencing on the Gas to the West project, which will result in a major im-provement to the natural gas infrastructure for the district. This in turn will be of significant benefit to customers in terms of lowering energy costs and of course in addressing concerns about the impact of emissions on the environment. I look forward to seeing its successful delivery over the coming years."

For further information on this press release please contact Brendan Mulgrew, 07767 393252 or the SGN Natural Gas Press Office on 0845 070 1811.

Whatever time of day or night, anyone who smells gas should dial the National Gas Emergency Number - 0800 002 001*. Lines are open 365 days a year and calls are free.

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