Although initial plans set 2011 as the year of completion, the government has now advanced the deadline to 2010. Construction of this section will help Dalmatia and Lika use gas and thus reduce their dependence on electric power, especially in Dalmatia, authorities say. The project is part of a larger plan, covering the years 2002-2011, to develop and modernize gas transmission in the country. "This government finds the gas pipeline network construction to be a priority in the energy sector," Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said. "No serious attempts existed earlier. We have decided to change things, and succeeded. In only three years time, more than 500km of gas pipeline will have been constructed in Croatia." The nine-year modernization plan covers the Pula-Karlovac gas transmission system, the Central and Eastern Croatian systems, and Lika-Dalmatia. The Pula-Karlovac system was completed during the first development investment phase, from 2002 to 2006,and the Central and Eastern Croatian systems were next. In 2006, 480km of new pipeline was constructed and commissioned. A national dispatching centre was launched, as well as a fibre-optic connection system. The government hopes boosting natural gas use will help give a new impetus to economic development in Lika and Dalmatia. In addition, reducing dependence on electricity could be beneficial to the environment, authorities say.