LIMERICK Labour TD Conor Sheehan told Environment Minister Darragh O’Brien in the Dáil that his party does not believe the Shannon LNG terminal is necessary or prudent.
Filling in for Labour TD for Dublin South-West, Ciarán Ahern, during priority questions on energy infrastructure, Deputy Sheehan asked the Minister if he will intervene to stop the construction of the terminal on the Shannon Estuary near Ballylongford and Tarbert in County Kerry.
“We know the Cabinet has approved the proposal to develop a State-led emergency gas reserve in the form of a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU). This will have the capacity to supply Ireland’s entire gas demand for seven days. We do not believe the Shannon LNG terminal is necessary or prudent,” he commented.
In response, Minister O’Brien pointed out that the proposed Shannon LNG terminal is a privately-owned, commercial proposal.
“The assessment of a planning application for this development is a matter for An Bord Pleanála. I will not be intervening,” he told Deputy Sheehan.
The former City North councillor expressed his disappointment with the Minister’s reply, saying that “given that the FSRU would, in theory, provide sufficient gas reserves, how can we have faith in the government’s commitment to end fossil fuel use and to reach our targets?”
“Is it a case that the FSRU will not provide sufficient energy security and the Minister feels we need the Shannon LNG too?” he asked.
“Building an LNG terminal would lock us into fossil fuel reliance for decades. We declared a climate emergency in 2019. I remember having an exchange with a former Green Party TD before the election who assured me the government’s new planning and development bill, which was then before the previous Oireachtas, would not allow the approval or construction of LNG infrastructure,” he insisted.
Minister O’Brien pointed out that the matter of any private entity making an application for anything in this country goes through the normal planning process.
“It will be assessed by An Bord Pleanála in line with our legislation. I will not be intervening,” he told Deputy Sheehan.
“Ireland’s future is with green energy. It will be good for our economy, climate, and people. In the meantime, we have to make sure we prepare for events we cannot foresee. When I received very clear advice in the 2030 energy risk report that our energy system is at risk and we do not have a strategic gas reserve, I had to act upon that.”
Deputy Sheehan said he does not support the FSRU, who he believes cannot justify the LNG terminal if Ireland intends being serious about reaching climate targets and achieve a 51 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030.
“In light of the 2021 policy statement, which introduced a moratorium on LNG and fracked gas, and the government’s independent analysis, which raised a range of risks associated with such a development, we are very concerned because the Shannon LNG terminal will be a permanent, commercial enterprise that will lock us into fossil fuel dependance for decades to come. We could be eligible for up to €26billion in fines if we increase our fossil fuel use. The Irish taxpayer will have to pay for this for decades to come,” Sheehan concluded.
