The longest tunnel ever built in Ireland has just been completed in north Mayo as part of the Corrib gas project.
The 4.9 kilometre tunnel, (which is 300 metres longer than Dublin’s Port Tunnel ) has been under construction since January 2013.
The tunnel runs under Sruwaddacon Bay, a special area of conservation (SAC ), and will house a key onshore section of the Corrib gas pipeline.
The tunnel will be used to connect the previously laid 83 kilometre offshore pipeline from the Corrib field to the Bellanaboy Bridge Gas Processing Terminal.
Reflecting on the important milestone for the project, Corrib project director, Roeland Borsboom, described the tunnel as “a remarkable example of engineering excellence”.
The Bellanaboy Bridge Gas Terminal is now 98 per cent complete and is preparing to use ‘backfeed’ gas from the national grid to test the newly constructed terminal facilities in the autumn.
