Ireland Completes 2nd Scottish Transit Pipe

Ireland’s state-owned gas grid has completed construction of a second pipeline onshore southwest Scotland in the UK, running parallel with one that has operated since 1993.

Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) announced completion of the new 50km gas pipeline between Cluden and Brighouse Bay in southwest Scotland on December 18; construction began in 2017. It said that the new section will reinforce security of supply across the island of Ireland, and that its commissioning completes full twinning of the two gas interconnectors between Ireland and the UK.

"Twinning of the on-shore section, which feeds the two subsea pipelines in place since 1993 and 2004 respectively, secures this vital link to the UK gas market," said GNI.

GNI's managing director, Denis O’Sullivan, said that the 50km link is "a critical piece of infrastructure" that "removes dependency on a single pipeline" onshore Scotland and means there is now "a complete twinned system between Ireland and the UK". He thanked both governments and the EU. Natural gas provides about one third of Ireland’s total energy demand and is used to generate over 50% of Ireland’s electricity. But Ireland requires gas imports to cover half its needs, as its own gas fields (Corrib and Kinsale) supply just over 50% of Irish requirements. 

The 50km onshore line, which has a 36-inch diameter, is understood to have cost around €93mn ($106mn), of which €33.7mn was given as a grant from the EU. GNI is part of Irish state utility Ervia which also runs Ireland’s drinking water and wastewater services and provides broadband infrastructure through its Aurora Telecom subsidiary.

The red line shows the route of the 50km section now commissioned. Purple lines show pre-existing Scotland-Ireland pipes (Map credit and banner photo of pipelaying in Scotland: Gas Networks Ireland)