name	Corrib gas field
country	Ireland
region	Slyne Trough basin
location	west of the Mullet Peninsula
block	18/20; 18/25
offonshore	offshore
operator	Shell E&P; Ireland
partners	Royal Dutch Shell (45%)Statoil (36.5%)Vermilion Energy Trust (18.5%)
discovery	1996
start development	2004
est gas bft	1000
recover gas bft	594
formations	Triassic Sandstones }}

The Corrib gas project () entails the extraction of a natural gas deposit off the northwest coast of Ireland. The project includes a development of the Corrib gas field, and constructions of the natural gas pipeline and a gas processing plant. The project has attracted considerable opposition.

History

The deepwater exploration licence No. 2/93 covering four blocks in the Slyne Trough was granted on 1 January 1993 for a period of 11 years to Enterprise Oil and its partners Saga Petroleum Ireland Limited, Statoil Exploration (Ireland) Limited, and Marathon International Petroleum Hibernia Limited. The licence was issued under the licensing terms for offshore oil and gas exploration and development 1992. The Corrib natural gas field was discovered in 1996. It was the first reported commercial natural gas discovery in Ireland since the Kinsale Head gas field was discovered in 1973. The first appraisal well was drilled in 1997. A number of consents and approvals to develop the Corrib Project were issued in 2001.

In 2002, Enterprise Oil was acquired by Royal Dutch Shell who took over the operatorship of the project. Development of the project began in 2004, but it was delayed in 2005 when locals opposed the project. Shell announced the suspension of the project to facilitate further discussions with opposing parties. For a year, independent safety reviews were conducted to address various safety concerns in relation to the project.

In 1999, Saga Petroleum became a part of Norsk Hydro and in 2007 a part of Statoil. In July 2009, Vermilion Energy acquired Marathon Oil's stake in the project.

Development

Royal Dutch Shell proposed to develop the Corrib field as a sub-sea production facility with onshore processing. This method of development is claimed by Shell to be in line with best industry practice for gas fields of this type. The project includes development of offshore operations including the wells and subsea facilities, construction of offshore and onshore pipelines, and construction of onshore processing plant at Bellanaboy.

Gas field

The Corrib gas field is located about off Erris Head in County Mayo in an area known as the Slyne Trough in water depths of . The gas is originating from Triassic Sandstone reservoir below the seabed. Reserves in the field are believed to be about , 70% the volume of the Kinsale field. The natural gas in the Corrib Gas Field is a very pure form of gas, consisting of approximately 97% methane and ethane. The Corrib gas does not contain hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide makes up only 0.3% of the total amount of gas.

The subsea production system is delivered by ABB. Production at the gas field will be remotely controlled from the Bellanaboy Bridge terminal. There are five production wells at the Corrib field drilled by Transocean Sedco 711 semi-submersible drilling rig. When in operation, each well is planned to have a so-called "christmas tree" structure above it that contains all control and monitoring equipment. Flexible individual flowlines will run from each well to a production manifold which will feed the gas into the main pipeline. There is no production platform installed in the field.

Pipeline

The pipeline from the Corrib field to the landfall at Glengad is planned to be approximately in length. The pipeline has a diameter of and it will operate at pressures of . Work on the offshore section occurred in summer 2009 and involved over 7,000 lengths of pipe being welded together onboard the Solitaire pipelaying vessel. The onshore pipeline is still in the proposal phase but is expected to be some in length and run from landfall to the drying plant.

Processing plant

Gas will be processed at the processing plant inland near Bellanaboy Bridge. The purpose of the plant is to dry the gas and remove impurities. The plant has a capacity of 10 million standard cubic metres of purified gas per day. Processed gas will be fed to the Bord Gáis gas grid.

The piping for the Onshore Processing Plant is manufactured by Phoenix Pipes Limited in Slane Co.Meath.

Partners

Shell E&P; Ireland is the operator of the project. The company holds 45% of equity. Other partners are Statoil Exploration (Ireland) Limited (36.5%), and the Vermilion Energy Trust (18.5% of equity).

Controversy

Some opponents of the scheme cite concerns about the health, safety and environmental impact of the onshore aspects of the project. Others are concerned with alleged irregularities and precedents surrounding the project. Many groups, most notably the Rossport Five and Shell to Sea campaigns, oppose the current plans for the project, which they regard as dangerous despite assurances from Shell. A contrary position is taken by the group Pro Gas Mayo.

There have been several films made about the project: 'The Pipe' released 8 July 2010 at the Galway Film Festival and

'Pipe Down' which was a prize winner at the Waterford Film Festival 2010

Safety and environmental concerns

Pipeline route

The upstream high pressure gas pipeline that will connect the wells to the inland processing site is planned to run through the area of Rossport, close to local residences. A report by Dr. Richard Kupriewicz concluded that "the terrain makes escape routes for the clustered population essentially impossible in the event of a [pipeline] rupture".

Discharges from drying process

Broadhaven Bay is the proposed area to discharge toxic waste from the refining process Due to the bay’s circular tidal pattern and semi-enclosed nature this toxic waste is more likely to stay within the bay rather than be washed out to sea.

Alleged violation of due process

Planning permission was initially refused by Senior Planning Inspector Kevin Moore, of An Bord Pleanála (the Irish planning authority). His report stated in part: "[I]t is my submission that the proposed development of a large gas processing terminal at this rural, scenic, and unserviced area on a bogland hill some 8 kilometres inland from the Mayo coastland landfall location, with all its site development works difficulties, public safety concerns, adverse visual, ecological, and traffic impacts, and a range of other significant environmental impacts, defies any rational understanding of the term “sustainability”." In November 2009, An Bord Pleanála ordered Shell to redesign the pipeline and move its route away from homes saying it posed an "unacceptable risk".

Tax

Claims of a tax yield of some €1.7 billion over the life of the field have been made by the Irish government based on data about the field's size and 2008 gas prices. Up to 2007, the Irish Petroleum Licensing Terms imposed a flat 25% income tax on gas production revenues. In August 2007, the top rate of tax on the most profitable fields was increased to 40%. The new licensing terms called for changes to the tax imposed based upon fields ' profit ratios (equal to the rate of profit less 25% divided by the accumulated level of capital investment). Where this ratio is greater than 4.5, an additional 15% tax was imposed, where it is between 3.0 and 4.5 an additional 10% was imposed and where the profit ratio is between 1.5 and 3.0, and additional 5% tax was added. Less profitable fields were not affected.

Employment

The construction of the pipeline and plant is expected by Shell's economic consultants, Goodbody Economic Consultants, to create 800 temporary jobs and boost the local Mayo economy by approximately €181 million. The plant is expected by Shell to employ approximately 55 workers when operational.

References

External links

Trailer for 'The Pipe' released 8th July 2010 - Galway Film Festival

'Pipe Down' film - winner - Waterford Film Festival 2010

Project Website

Corrib Gas Pipeline

Project Overview and History

Centre For Public Inquiry's review of events surrounding the Corrib gas project

Technical details of the Corrib project from Shell's offshore-technology.com

Technical details of proposed pipeline from Accufacts Inc.

Mayo Gas Info

Advantica's review of onshore pipeline

Bitter dispute over gas pipeline — BBC news article on controversy

Category:Natural gas fields in Ireland Category:Geography of County Mayo Category:Politics of County Mayo Category:Royal Dutch Shell Category:Corrib gas controversy

de:Corrib-Gasprojekt fr:Corrib (gisement) ga:Gás na Coiribe

name	Eamon Ryan
office	Leader of the Green Party
term start	27 May 2011
predecessor	John Gormley
office1	Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
term start1	14 June 2007
term end1	23 January 2011
predecessor1	Noel Dempsey
successor1	Pat Carey
office2	Teachta Dála
constituency2	Dublin South
term start2	May 2002
term end2	February 2011
birth date	July 28, 1963
birth place	Dublin, Ireland
party	Green Party
spouse	Victoria White
children	4
website
alma mater	University College Dublin
footnotes	}}

Eamon Ryan (born 28 July 1963) is an Irish politician and leader of the Irish Green Party. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South constituency from 2002 to 2011, and served as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2007 to 2011.

Early and personal life

Ryan was born in Dublin and raised in Dundrum where he continues to live. He was educated at Gonzaga College and University College Dublin where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. After a period of unemployment in the mid 1980s, he worked as a tour operator. He was the founder of Irish Cycling Safaris, a company which organises cycling holidays in Ireland and Europe. He married the author and journalist Victoria White in 1996.

Political career

He first became involved in politics in 1998 when he was co-opted to Dublin City Council. He topped the poll at the 1999 local elections in the Rathmines electoral area. From 1995 to 2002 he served on the advisory committee of the Dublin Transport Office. At the 2002 general election he was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a TD for Dublin South. He served as Green Party spokesperson for Transport, Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Communications, Marine and Natural Resources during the 29th Dáil.

He announced on 13 September 2004 that he intended to ask his party to nominate him as a candidate for the 2004 presidential election. However, when it was announced that the incumbent, Mary McAleese, was seeking a second term he withdrew. His campaign was also hit by his admission of cannabis use, an illegal drug.

In government

He was re-elected at the 2007 general election. Following the Green Party's special convention vote in favour of entering into a coalition government with Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats on 13 June 2007, Ryan was appointed to the cabinet as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when the 30th Dáil sat the following day.

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

As Minister, he stated his priorities would be to improve upon the changes underway in the Irish energy sector, with strong emphasis on aiding the adaptation of renewables and building retrofitting. He also aimed to enhance communications infrastructure where Ireland had fallen behind other countries.

Record in office

During Ryan's period in office, installed wind capacity in Ireland doubled, and by 2010 the average daily energy derived from renewable sources (as a percentage of total demand) had increased to 17%, peaking at 42%. He also committed Ireland to the European Super Grid programme in 2009 and announced major government investment in Marine energy research projects. Government schemes were expanded for home energy retrofitting as uptake increased, the National Broadband Scheme was completed, a Broadband for Schools Scheme launched, and a national electric vehicle and chargepoint initiative was announced in conjunction with the ESB Electric Ireland and Peugeot Citroën, which was subsequently implemented by the new government.

Criticisms

Many environmental activists, particularly Shell to Sea and Maura Harrington, criticised Ryan for joining Fianna Fáil in coalition as the terms of the programme for government did not include a reversal or renegotiation of the proposed gas pipline and refinery at Broadhaven Bay, County Mayo. Before entering into government, Ryan visibly supported the aims of the Shell to Sea campaign and attended their protests. Ryan was also criticised by Shell to Sea for failing to launch an independent review of the decision, as stipulated by the Green Party in a motion passed at their annual convention in 2007, though the party's 2007 election manifesto contained no such commitment.

2011 general election and Green Party leadership

Ryan resigned as Minister on 23 January 2011 when the Green Party withdrew from government. He subsequently lost his seat at the 2011 general election receiving 6.8% of the vote. As part of his pension Ryan will receive a lump sum of €110,000 and an annual pension of €51,000.

He was one of three candidates to contest the subsequent Green Party leadership election of May 2011. He was elected leader on 27 May 2011, succeeding John Gormley.

References

External links

Eamon Ryan's page on the Green Party website

{{s-ttl|title = Green Party Teachta Dála for Dublin South |years = 2002–2011}} {{s-ttl|title = Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources |years = 2007–2011}} {{s-ttl|title = Leader of the Green Party |years = 2011–present}}

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Teachtaí Dála Category:Leaders of the Green Party (Ireland) Category:Members of the 29th Dáil Category:Members of the 30th Dáil Category:People from Dublin (city) Category:Alumni of University College Dublin

de:Eamon Ryan ga:Éamon Ryan pl:Eamon Ryan sco:Eamon Ryan