Consultation on natural gas extension to Whitehead

The Utility Regulator, under Article 8(4) of the Gas (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 as amended, proposes to extend the licence area of Phoenix Natural Gas Limited which is set out in Schedule 1 of the licence.

The proposed extension relates to the town of Whitehead and comprises of the addition of two wards, namely Whitehead and Blackhead. It will allow for the construction of the pipeline infrastructure necessary to facilitate the conveyance of gas to domestic and commercial properties in the vicinity of the towns.

The capital investment for the project is in excess of £3 million and over time will make gas available to around 2,250 domestic and commercial customers within the town of Whitehead.

An important consideration in regard to any extension is the impact it would have on current gas distribution tariffs in the relevant area, in this case the PNGL licensed area. We have assessed the PNGL submission and the underlying assumptions employed and consider that the project is projected to breakeven and so should not increase distribution tariffs. Our analysis is set out in section 2 of the consultation paper.

Representations or objections to the proposed extension can be made by 5pm on Friday 29 June 2018 to:

Jonny Millar at jonny.millar@uregni.gov.uk

Or

Jonny Millar, Utility Regulator, Queens House, 14 Queen Street, Belfast BT1 6ED

Copies of the document will be made available in large print, Braille, audio cassette and a variety of relevant minority languages if required.