Madam, – In The Irish Timesof May 2nd ("Remain within the law, Ministers urge in Mayo") Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív is reported to have stated at a public meeting in north Mayo that, "the issue of us stopping the [Corrib gas] project is a legal impossibility". This implies that all the legal permissions are in place. This is not the case. This seems, in effect, to be saying that the upcoming Bord Pleanála oral hearing is a farce and that the decision has already been made to impose this project on the local community in its present form.
Although Shell has received planning permission and an EPA licence for the refinery at Bellanaboy, it does not have planning permission for the Landfall Valve Installation (LVI), within the Special Area of Conservation (SAC) at Glengad. An application for planning permission is currently before An Bord Pleanála. Our community is particularly concerned that Shell is proceeding with the construction of the LVI when no planning exists for this station.
Applications for approval of the onshore gas pipeline and for Compulsory Acquisition Orders over private lands in Rossport are also currently before An Bord Pleanála. Minister Ó Cuiv’s reported statement could be interpreted as pre-empting the decision of the board. Pobal Chill Chomáin, representing the views of the majority of the receiving community, has appealed the decision of the EPA to grant a licence for the refinery to the European Commission. Therefore any talk of the “legal impossibility” of stopping the project is premature.
Our community has never been opposed to the development of the Corrib resource, but we do object to the present configuration of this project which places a refinery within our drinking-water catchment and which necessitates the construction close to our homes of an unprecedented high-pressure raw gas pipeline alongside an umbilical (system) containing high-powered electric cables and methanol.
We will continue to work for an agreed solution to the Corrib conflict. We urge Shell, Statoil, Marathon and the Government to do likewise. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Lorna Siggins and Áine Ryan reported on May 2nd that Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív said at the recent open meeting at Inver, Co Mayo, that there was no possibility of stopping the Corrib project.
That’s okay, because Shell to Sea have never asked for the project to be stopped, simply for a safe way to bring in the gas. An off-shore refinery would be a good option, allowing clean gas to be pumped ashore at low pressure.
There would then be none of the risks associated with high-pressure raw gas and pipeline corrosion, or pollution of local drinking water supply (Carrowmore Lake) with contaminants such as aluminium – high levels of which have recently been recorded entering the lake from initial works at the Bellanaboy site.
The Government can and should insist on a new deal with the multinationals, first, to show respect for the wishes of the local community and complete the project in the safest possible way; second, to provide cheaper gas for the people of Ireland.
It is not a lot to ask – the cost to Shell and partners would be just a tiny proportion of their multi-billion profits.
The Bellanaboy site could be reconfigured as a centre of excellence for renewable energy and become a tourism attraction, adding something of real value to the wild and scenic region of north Mayo. – Yours, etc,