Page 13 - GLNG Week 37 2022

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Ireland eases back on LNG

opposition amid energy crunch

IRELAND IRELAND is showing signs of reconsidering single pipeline that runs from the UK. The rest
its long-held opposition to LNG imports, with comes from the Corrib gas field off the west coast
the government now weighing up proposals for of Ireland, although production is in decline and
regasification terminals to reduce the country’s is forecast to cease entirely in 2031, or possibly
reliance on gas supplies from the UK. sooner.
Irish Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar In its National Energy Security Framework
has said it makes sense to build LNG terminals published in mid-April, the government said
to ensure Ireland’s energy supply security. This it wanted to carry out an energy policy review
puts the Fine Gael party member at odds with to provide “an overarching and comprehensive
Environment Minister Eamon Ryan, a member response to Ireland’s energy security needs in the
of the Greens, another of the three parties that context of the war in Ukraine,” and indicated that
form Ireland’s coalition government. Ryan has it would consider importing LNG as one of the
long opposed the construction of LNG termi- solutions to the current crisis. The results of that
nals, warning they would undermine the coun- review are yet to be published, however.
try’s climate ambitions. There are two LNG projects under consid-
“So to me it makes sense that we should have eration in Ireland, although neither has made
LNG energy storage. How you do that is a mat- much progress for some time in light of the
ter for debate, but Minister Ryan will be bring- government’s opposition. There is New Fortress
ing forward proposals in the next couple weeks Energy’s Shannon LNG project in the county of
as to how we can achieve that,” Varadkar said Kerry, and a floating import terminal proposed
this week. “That at least gives us the additional by UK-listed Predator Oil and Gas off the coun-
assurance that if something went wrong from try’s south coast. A third project in the country’s
the interconnectors to the UK, we would have south was set to be advanced by NextDecade,
our own way from bringing gas from the sea and receiving supplies from the US company’s Rio
have some way to store it.” Grande LNG development in Texas. But Next-
A number of European countries have reas- Decade has given up on the venture.
sessed their positions on LNG in the wake of The national government’s opposition has
Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent irked local politicians, eager to cut energy bills
cuts in Russian gas supply that have exacerbated and attract investment to their communities.
the continent’s energy crisis. But Irish authori- Earlier this month Fine Gael councillor for
ties have been reluctant to lend support, given Kerry, Jim Finucane, urged the government to
the country’s commitment to making its power “get real” on the issues of energy dependency
generation 100% renewables-based by the end of and protect the most vulnerable energy users
the decade. this winter. Shannon LNG should be given the
For the time being, natural gas still com- go-ahead to safeguard Ireland’s future energy
mands a third of Ireland’s primary energy mix, supply, he said.™
with three-quarters of supply sourced from a

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