The Santa María La Real Old People's Home was the first building to be connected in this part of the city.

Gas Natural Rioja has begun supplying customers in Nájera who live on the left bank of the river Najerilla. The company launched this service after the two network sections on which it was working - one on each side of the municipality - were connected in June via a link that crosses the river over the pedestrian walkway.

Until now, the company had only been connecting properties linked to the first sections of its network on the right bank, where it enters the municipality. At the end of June, Gas Natural Rioja had reached a total of 600 supply points in Nájera (mainly in the upper districts of the municipality), 325 of which are new connections in 2014. In July, work began to also connect users on the left bank of the river, such as the Santa María La Real Old People's Home.

This concludes the first stage of development on the network, with the construction of a main pipeline that runs the length of the municipality from Carretera de Huércanos to the multi-purpose pavilion and the old people's home. From now on, smaller branch pipelines will be developed to reach the remaining areas. Work is currently under way to lay pipes on the odd-numbered side of Calle San Fernando and on Calle Brieva.

Gas Natural Rioja began laying pipes in Nájera in September and will continue until the planned 22 kilometres of pipes have been laid, at an investment cost of 1.7 million euros for the whole town. After the first homes were connected in October 2013, 600 of the 2,200 supply points planned for Nájera have now been installed. This infrastructure is connected to the gas pipeline that connects the Oja and Najerilla valleys with the main gas pipeline in the Ebro valley.

Progress on the natural gas distribution network in Nájera is being welcomed by the local population because of the accompanying economic and environmental advantages. This type of fuel can lead to savings in excess of 20% when compared with propane for an equivalent level of consumption. It is worth mentioning the option to decentralise boiler systems with individual natural gas installations. A number of residents have already taken up this offer as they are entitled to special subsidies to do so. The decentralisation of a boiler room in a residential block means that each resident can have their own wall-mounted boiler and individually decide when to turn on the heating and at what temperature to set the thermostat, paying only for what they themselves consume.

Presence in La Rioja

Following the incorporation of Cirueña, Gas Natural Rioja - the GAS NATURAL FENOSA distribution company in this region - is now present in 33 towns through a distribution network of almost 793 kilometres that enables supply to be brought to almost 100,000 users, thereby providing coverage to almost 90% of the region. An investment of 5.1 million euros has been planned for this year, to continue developing existing networks and connect four new towns.

Logroño, 30 July 2014.

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