The Chief Executive of an energy company that is in the process of bringing a £250 million gas pipeline to Derrylin is concerned about “criminality” in the area.

“It’s not a great environment to do business in down there. I’ve seen reports about a lot of criminality and pressure being put on companies. That’s always a concern,” said Paddy Larkin, Chief Executive of Mutual Energy.

The Gas to the West project plans to construct a £250 million gas pipeline which will connect 40,000 domestic and business customers in eight towns, including Enniskillen and Derrylin, to natural gas.

The reason for the gas pipeline being extended to Derrylin was to allow the group of businesses once owned by the Quinn Group to compete with their competitors who are already using gas. This includes Encirc, a Spanish-owned glass factory, formerly known as Quinn Glass, which is regarded as the largest energy user in Northern Ireland.

“Gas being piped to Derrylin was for any business that would take gas, but the glass business is by far and away the anchor customer out there,” Mr. Larkin told The Impartial Reporter.

Last week, a Cork crane hire company removed its equipment from the Slieve Rushen wind farm in Derrylin, which was once owned by the Quinn Group, after being warned that the machinery would be “burnt to the ground.”
As a result of the unrest in the area, Gas to the West officials are currently in discussion with the former Quinn-owned businesses in Derrylin to “get commitments” that they intend to access gas in the long-term. Mr. Larkin stated: “If we are told: ‘We are not going to take gas’, that will put a completely different complexion on [the Gas to the West project].

“Gas to the West is a 40 year pipeline project. We are relying on long-term customers to be burning gas going on into the future and on having a sustainable economy [in Derrylin]. The reason for gas going to Derrylin is to feed the businesses there, so the businesses will need to want and to take gas. If they are not proposing to take gas, there’s little point in taking gas to Derrylin.”

He added: “If industry leaves Derrylin, it’s a problem for this project.”
Despite his concerns, Mr. Larkin intends to “push ahead” and said: “There have been campaigns for over 15 years to try and get gas to Derrylin so I presume there is still demand for it.”

Reacting to the concerns raised by Mr. Larkin, First Minister Arlene Foster said: “I have said consistently since the difficulties arose in Derrylin and Teemore that it would be a deterrent to others who would like to invest in County Fermanagh if they perceived this to be an unsafe place to do business, and I have always been concerned about that.”

The First Minister will be “hugely disappointed” if Fermanagh and Tyrone cannot have the same access to gas as other parts of Northern Ireland, but she can “entirely understand the sentiments that have been expressed by Gas to the West.”

Mrs. Foster stated: “I hope that things will settle, and, as far as I am concerned, the glass factory which is the major load for gas is a very stable company and will continue to be in Derrylin and therefore there is no threat. 
“The ongoing noise from Derrylin is very detrimental to the whole of County Fermanagh.”

Encirc was unable to provide an official statement this week but a spokeswoman told The Impartial Reporter: “Encirc is committed to supporting the project and is aware of both the environmental and community benefits it will offer. They have been speaking to stakeholders just to make sure there are no concerns anywhere.”