Northern Ireland is poised to have its first natural gas service.
British Gas plc (BG) plans to buy the Ballylumford power station, a 1.08 million kw heavy fuel oil fired plant about 30 miles from Belfast near Larne, and convert it to bum natural gas, probably in 1997. No pipeline construction plans were disclosed.
BG will pay 132.4 million for the plant. George Langshaw, managing director of BG's global gas unit, expects Ballylumford to be the first power station to use natural gas in Northern Ireland.
The station is the largest power generator in the province, serving almost half the 600,000 customers of Northern Ireland Electricity.
It is the largest of four power plants sold under the government's plan to privatize the power supply industry.
The station contributes to BG's rapidly developing power generation interests in and outside the U.K., which include proposals for a 1.2 million kw gas fired power station near Bristol and a proposed combined heat and power station in London.
Meantime, BG has set up two companies to supply and market natural gas in Northern Ireland.
Premier Transco Ltd. will build, own, and operate a pipeline to ship gas into Northern Ireland from Scotland and serve other suppliers to the province.
Premier Energy Suppliers Ltd. is to market natural gas in Northern Ireland.
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