Permission refused for Shannon Estuary LNG terminal by RTE, 15 Sep 2023
An Bord Pleanála has refused permission for the proposed development of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and power station on the Shannon estuary in Co Kerry.
The decision was posted to An Bord Pleanála’s website this morning.
Shannon LNG had been seeking permission for the €650m development, including a 600MW power plant and LNG terminal at the site near Tarbert.
The decision was based on Government policy on the importation of fracked gas, An Bord Pleanála said, adding that it would be inappropriate to permit or proceed with the development of any LNG terminals in Ireland pending the review of energy supply.
An Bord Plenála referred to several government policy statements and an ongoing ‘Review of the Security of Energy Supply of Ireland’s Electricity and Natural Gas Systems’ undertaken by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications in September last year.
It said an “initial technical analysis” carried out as part of this review “does not support the development of a commercially operated” floating LNG terminal.
It goes on to say it would go against current government policy and “in the absence of such policy support” the proposed development “would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area”.
The use of LNG as a primary fuel source for a power station was contrary to current Government policy, it added.
Govt to study planning decision – Varadkar
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the Government would have to study the decision.
He said there would be disappointment in the area and he believes there is a case for having a gas storage facility in the country.
Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan has welcomed the decision by An Bord Pleanála.
“At a time when the world is burning, we cannot expand our use of fossil fuels. We have to switch from electricity to wind,” he said.
He said the Government review of energy security will be published “in the next two to three weeks”.
Mr Ryan hinted the review could recommend some form of LNG but that it “will be strategic, not commercial”.
He said he is “absolutely convinced” there will be huge investment in Kerry, Clare and Limerick by tapping into offshore wind.
“We can switch to hydrogen made from that wind and Kerry, Limerick and Clare more than anywhere else, from Tarbert, to Foynes, right the way up the Limerick estuary to Limerick city at the centre of this is going to boom in this green, clean green future.”
He said one of the main reasons why energy is so expensive in Ireland is because 50% of Irish power generation demand comes from gas.
Call for Ryan to resign over decision
Mayor of Kerry Councillor Jim Finucane has said the reaction to the refusal of planning permission for an LNG terminal is “one of total shock and dismay”.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News At One Mr Finucane said “there is a huge amount of anger” in north Kerry. “This whole process was a farce.”
He said the long-planned project was supported by a majority of people in north Kerry because it would bring investment and jobs.
Don’t believe the job con of frac’d unnatural gas
Mr Finucane said it was “non-sensical” that the Department of Environment’s report into Ireland’s energy security had not been published yet.
He said Mr Ryan should resign and said he would be contacting the Taoiseach’s office about the result.
The decision was welcomed by Friends of the Earth.
Head of Policy Jerry McEvilly said it was thanks to 15 years of work by civil society groups, both here and in America.
He said the state agencies were “finally aligned” on policy on this project.
Attempts to construct an LNG terminal at the site go back almost two decades.
Permission was granted in 2007 for an LNG regasification terminal but there were legal challenges and an extension of permission was quashed by the High Court in 2020.
Permission was also granted in 2009 for a 26km gas pipeline to connect the terminal to the existing natural gas network west of Foynes, Co Limerick, to link up with the national gas networks.
Additional reporting Mícheál Lehane, Sinead Spain
Shannon LNG: €650m gas facility refusal no threat to jobs or energy security, Eamon Ryan insists, New Fortress Energy has been vying to build Ireland’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal as well as a 600MW power plant at the siteThe Green Party had opposed the construction of an LNG terminal in Ireland by Senan Molony, Caroline O’Doherty and Stephen Fernane, 15 Sep 2023, Irish Independent
Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has rejected claims that An Bord Pleanála’s refusal today of permission for the Shannon Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project will cost jobs in the West and jeopardise national energy security.Always the same threats by the polluting frac’d unnatural gas industry and its enablers
Mr Ryan said energy security would come from deploying greater renewables and with greater efficiency in energy use, arguing it was over-dependency on gas had caused the spike in prices and concerns over supply.
He also said Kerry, Clare and Limerick would receive a huge jobs boost from focusing on offshore wind.
“The jobs will come to where the power Is. The power is in the Atlantic and we’re going to bring that ashore in the Shannon Estuary more than anywhere else,” he said.
“We will bring huge investment to the Kerry, Clare and Limerick shores to tap into that offshore wind and we’re going to develop and build the industries to use it.
“The Shannon Estuary is going to be at the centre of it. North Kerry is going to be revived and thrive.”
LNG will form part of the country’s future energy portfolio, however.
Mr Ryan is to publish the final version of the long-awaited energy security review in the next few weeks and it is expected to contain plans for a state-owned LNG storage facility for use if emergencies arise.
“We do need security of supply in the event of an interruption of supply during the transition to renewables,” he said.
He said the facility would not be a commercial venture [unlike the Shannon LNG project] but he did not disclose what form it would take.
A new onshore terminal could be built or existing storage space such as the emptied Kinsale gas field could be adapted.
“That will be decided in a very short period of time,” he said.
“But it will be strategic, not commercial; not for ever and a day but time-lined.”
Mr Ryan added that a memorandum of understanding he signed with the UK government earlier this week would also protect Ireland’s energy security.
Ireland already has interconnection with the UK and the new memorandum commits both countries to cooperating if any sudden disruption to gas supply was to occur in the future.
An Irish unit of US firm New Fortress Energy has been vying to build Ireland’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, on the Shannon estuary in Co Kerry, as well as a 600MW power plant at the site.
Earlier this year, the Irish unit, Shannon LNG, was successful in securing capacity contracts with EirGrid for the supply of 353MW of electricity from the planned gas-fired power plant to the national grid. The Irish subsidiary must have the plants completed by October 2026 in order to fulfil the contract.
An Bord Pleanála had to decide whether or not the controversial, €650m LNG plant and power stations will be permitted. A 120MW battery storage facility is also planned on the site, which is on the Shannon Estuary, directly opposite Moneypoint and close to Tarbert power station.
But it has now been turned down on the basis that it was at odds with Ireland’s climate goals and that a review of Ireland’s energy needs was not yet complete.
Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the importance of security of energy supply has become more acute. However, the Green Party, led by Environment Minister Eamon Ryan, has opposed the construction of an LNG terminal in Ireland.
Opponents say the building such a project would only lock Ireland into more fossil fuel use for decades to come, while they also oppose the use of imported fracked gas.
Fracking involves injecting water, sand and chemicals into the ground at high pressure to release gas, but it is very environmentally destructive and polluting.
Mr Ryan’s department is currently finalising its review of security of energy supply of Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems.
A report published last year by Cambridge Economic Policy Associates recommended that LNG storage facilities be considered in Ireland to provide additional energy security.
Last winter, there were fears that Ireland could face rolling power blackouts as Ireland’s energy grid’s capacity remains stretched. While there are plans for a number of major offshore wind energy farms around Ireland, it will be a number of years before they start to come on stream.
The head of policy at environmental organisation Friends of the Earth said this planning refusal is “welcome and hard-fought”.
Jerry Mac Evilly said Shannon LNG would have posed “unacceptable risks to our climate and communities in Kerry and the US”.
“It has been clear from the get-go that a long-lasting commercial LNG terminal would mean polluting gas for decades to come. We are finally seeing the decision-making of state bodies line up with our climate obligations,” he said.
“The decision vindicates the tenacity of grassroots campaigners that have opposed LNG from the beginning.
“Activists on both sides of the Atlantic have been tireless in their opposition, particularly given the risk that the terminal would allow for importation of polluting fracked gas, a form of fossil fuel that has devastated large parts of the US.”
Mr Mac Evilly said the Government must be clear in its opposition to fossil fuel infrastructure which “risks locking Ireland into using polluting methane gas for decades to come”.
“This decision is also just one step in getting Ireland off polluting fossil fuels. As the head of the International Energy Agency said just this week, ‘we are witnessing the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era, and we have to prepare ourselves for the next era’.
“We need to ensure government departments and state agencies assess fossil fuel projects in accordance with the State’s climate policy.”
Fine Gael mayor of Kerry Jim Finucane called on his party to reconsider being in Government with the Green Party.
Mr Finucane said the decision has angered people in North Kerry where he said “98 per cent of people” support the LNG project as a means of creating economic investment and securing the country’s energy supply.Too funny. I am constantly stunned by the many that fall for LNG’s lies and cons. Soon as this project would have been approved, then would have started non stop begging and pestering for billions of euros in gifts/subsidies to pay for it all. And citizens would be left paying for the explosions, pollution, public health harms and devastation left behind after the corporate profit-raping.
Mr Finucane said the decision was a “farce” as it comes without publication and knowledge of the Government’s energy security review, that is even more a priority in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Europe’s overreliance on Russian fuel.
“As a party [Fine Gael], we have nothing in common with these types of antics,” he said.
“My party should reconsider staying in Government with people like this [Greens] who are destructive to rural Ireland and holding up significant projects. They don’t accept that people must live in rural Ireland, and have jobs, and have a future,” he said.LNG ensures the future will be bleak for humanity and other species.
“Minister Eamon Ryan’s intervention is unacceptable, and he should resign. We have a report [energy security review] that has taken four years when it should have taken six months. This is causing reputational damage to Ireland,” he said.Nope, this refusal is doing the opposite! It’s showing the world Ireland’s courage and integrity to say no to lying polluting bullies.
Friends of the Earth said the decision after 15 years of campaigning against it by civil society groups showed that the project was “dead in the water”.
“This planning refusal is welcome, right, far-reaching and hard-fought. It has been clear from the get-go that a long-lasting commercial LNG terminal would mean polluting gas for decades to come. We are finally seeing the decision-making of state bodies line up with our climate obligations,” said head of policy Jerry Mac Evilly.
“The decision vindicates the tenacity of grassroots campaigners that have opposed LNG from the beginning. Shannon LNG would have posed unacceptable risks to our climate and communities in Kerry and the US. Activists on both sides of the Atlantic have been tireless in their opposition, particularly given the risk that the terminal would allow for importation of polluting fracked gas, a form of fossil fuel that has devastated large parts of the US.”
Ireland South MEP Billy Kelleher said the decision was a major blow to Ireland’s future energy security.Pffft. Go tell a tall tale elsewhere.
“It beggars belief that such an important project is once again being refused permission,” Mr Kelleher said.
“There is a mountain of evidence to suggest the critical need for an LNG terminal and storage in Ireland.
“Ireland’s objective is to have the maximal amount of renewable energy possible. However, there will be days when the wind doesn’t blow and when we will need to burn gas if we are to keep our homes and businesses lit.”Ever hear of energy storage? Blankets? It’s long past time humans quit polluting earth, harming health of so many and wiping out other species with excessive wasteful energy greed.
He claimed that in future LNG infrastructure could be repurposed for use with hydrogen gas “which will be a major component of the world’s energy mix”.I highly doubt it. It’s not yet proven to be economical and is known to be more polluting and stupid than LNG!
“This is an extremely short sighted decision. I hope the company stays the course and continues the fight to secure permission,” Mr Kelleher said.I expect the company will unleash it’s nastiness and sue/threaten/bully it’s way to permitted invasion of Ireland. LNG companies, like frac’ers, are thugs and are all the same.
‘Very close’ to nowhere:
US energy boss says Ireland’s first LNG plant now ‘very close’, New Fortress Energy wants to build terminal in Co Kerry by John Mulligan, Aug 11, 2023
US-based New Fortress Energy is “very close” to becoming the first and only liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal operator in Ireland, according to its founder and chief executive, Wes Edens.
An Irish unit of New Fortress Energy has been vying to build Ireland’s first LNG terminal in Co Kerry as well as a 600MW power plant at the site.
Earlier this year, the Irish unit, Shannon LNG, was successful in securing capacity contracts with EirGrid for the supply of 353MW of electricity from the planned gas-fired power plant to the national grid. The Irish subsidiary must have the plants completed by October 2026 in order to fulfil the contract.
An Bord Pleanála still has to deliver its verdict on whether or not the controversial LNG plant and power stations will be permitted. A 120MW battery storage facility is also planned on the site, which is on the Shannon Estuary, directly opposite Moneypoint and close to Tarbert power station.
Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the importance of security of energy supply has become more acute. However, the Green Party, led by Environment Minister Eamon Ryan, has opposed the construction of an LNG terminal in Ireland.
Mr Ryan’s department is currently finalising its review of security of energy supply of Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems.
A report published last year by Cambridge Economic Policy Associates recommended that LNG storage facilities be considered in Ireland to provide additional energy security.
Last winter, there were fears that Ireland could face rolling power blackouts as Ireland’s energy grid’s capacity remains stretched. While there are plans for a number of major offshore wind energy farms around Ireland, it will be a number of years before they start to come on stream.
Despite opposition to New Fortress Energy’s planned onshore LNG facility in Co Kerry, the company remains confident that it will go ahead.
“We won our first power auction last quarter and we believe we’re finally very close to being the first and only LNG terminal in the country,” said Mr Edens of the group’s plans in Ireland. He was speaking to analysts as the company reported second-quarter results this week.
New Fortress Energy believes it will secure permission for the power generation and LNG facilities at the Co Kerry site by the end of this year. Under the terms of the 10-year capacity contract with EirGrid, 400MW of power must be made available by October 1, 2026.
“The proposed power plant will not be operating at full load all year round,” noted a report prepared on behalf of Shannon LNG in 2021 for planners.
“For example, during periods of high wind (renewable) generation it is expected that the power plant could be turned down or off by the system operator EirGrid to give priority to renewable power,” it added. “However, the proposed LNG terminal will need to be operational all year round.”Which would be an incredible waste of energy if permitted.
“The overall premise of the proposed development is to provide an alternative source of natural gas supply for Ireland in the form of regasified LNG, as well as a new source of electricity to the national electricity grid,” added the report.
Refer also to:
1982: LNG bomb cartoon in Vancouver Sun
2013: Oil and gas industry seeks 2 billion-dollar tax break to lure LNG plantsThey’re seeking many more $billions now; every year, their greed goes up.
