Mayo County Council has granted planning permission to Enterprise Energy Ireland Ltd (EEI) for the construction of a major onshore terminal to receive gas from the Corrib Field off Belmullet.
The decision is subject to appeal to An Bord Pleanala and to the provision of an integrated pollution control licence from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Objectors to the development are being informed of the council's decision. The onshore terminal will be located at Bellanaboy Bridge, from where Bord Gais will construct a pipeline from north Mayo to Craughwell, Co Galway, connecting the Corrib Field into the national grid.
In May EEI, together with its partners, Statoil Exploration Ireland Ltd and Marathon Petroleum (Hibernia) Limited, announced it was submitting a new planning application to the council in respect of the proposed terminal.
The revised plans were submitted in a bid to allay environmental concerns. The new application involved a number of key features including the relocation of the proposed terminal from the south to the northeast of the site to reduce visual impact.
The applicants say the new location will involve moving less peat on the site during the construction stages.
A revised Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was also prepared. It included a new strategy for the disposal of peat and contains more information on water and air.
Bringing Corrib into production will require an investment of over £660 million by EEI and its partners. To date, over £146 million has been spent on the exploration appraisal process.
Tests carried out on Corrib over the last three years have indicated it appears to be a medium-size gas field, approximately two-thirds the size of the Kinsale Head Field.