Corrib gas controversy
Encyclopedia
The Corrib gas controversy concerns plans by Shell E&P Ireland, Statoil Exploration (Ireland) Limited
, Vermilion Energy Trust and the Irish government
for processing the Corrib gas field
through Broadhaven Bay
and Sruth Fada Conn Bay in Kilcommon
parish, Erris
, County Mayo
, and objections raised against those plans.
, and the Vermilion Energy Trust.
The deepwater exploration licence No. 2/93 for 11 years, covering four blocks in the Slyne Trough, was granted on 1 January 1993 to Enterprise Oil
. 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.
Sinn Féin
called for an inquiry into the Corrib deal as early as 2001.
(MCC). In January, 2001 MCC sought more information after local concerns are raised.
In April a new planning application was submitted. June, MCC seek more information which is supplied in July. The Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Minister Fahey hosted a public meeting on offshore licensing aspects of Corrib in Geesala, Co. Mayo.
In August MCC granted planning permission for the onshore terminal, with conditions. This is immediately appealed to An Bord Pleanala by residents and environmental groups.
Also in August Minister Fahey stated that the objectors are holding up progress in the west.
The Planning decision according to a Channel Four documentary resulted from "huge pressure" that had been exerted on it. This decision was immediately appealed to An Bord Pleanála
(ABP) by local people and environmental groups.
In 2002, planning permission for a proposed refinery in County Mayo
was refused by Senior Planning Inspector Kevin Moore, of ABP. His report stated: "From a strategic planning perspective, this is the wrong site; from the perspective of Government policy which seeks to foster balanced regional development, this is the wrong site; from the perspective of minimising environmental impact, this is the wrong site; and consequently, from the perspective of sustainable development, this is the wrong site".
Then Minister for Marine and Natural Resources Frank Fahey
told the media that this refusal was "just a hitch". He was backed by local Fine Gael
TD
, now leader of that party, Enda Kenny
, but opposed by another local Fine Gael TD, Michael Ring
. An Bord Pleanála had asked Shell to examine the less profitable option of refining the gas at sea, but this was not undertaken.
In 2002 a Rossport resident failed in a High Court challenge to halt the pipeline.
In 2003 senior executives from Shell sought, and were given, an interview with then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and other Irish government ministers. Within a week, Ahern met with the board of An Bord Pleanála, who are appointed by the government.
In December 2003, a new planning application was made for the same site, together with a peat storage site some 11 km away. This was subject to an appeal to An Bord Pleanála who granted permission in October 2004 attaching 42 conditions.
The board decided to ignore many of its own inspector's recommendations. Not long before, a huge landslide swept away the whole surface area of a mountain close to the intended pipeline route. Planning permission was not required for the onshore pipeline under the Gas Act 1976.
In November 2009, An Bord Pleanála ordered Shell to redesign the pipeline and move its route away from homes because it posed an "unacceptable risk".
in 2005. It is a very active group in the affected Kilcommon
parish holding regular meetings and organising regular events. Shell to Sea also has many supporters outside of the immediately affected area from across County Mayo
, across all of Ireland and there are also several international Shell to Sea groups across the world. Shell to Sea have a website that is kept updated on a daily basis. They refuse to be participants in the North West Development Forum (known as the Corrib Gas Forum or known locally as the 'Funny Forum') at which Government Ministers, Royal Dutch Shell
and Mayo County Council
sit occasionally in a hotel in Belmullet
to try to work out a solution to the Corrib Gas problem.
Pobal Chill Chomáin, a group of local residents who live in the affected Kilcommon parish, Erris
, from both peninsulas of Sruwaddacon Bay
also oppose the current plans for the project, due to concerns about the health, safety and environmental impact of the onshore aspects of the scheme and cite Shell's record in similar projects. ). They refuse to participate in the Corrib Gas Forum, (North West Development Forum) at which Government Ministers, Shell and Mayo County Council try to discuss the 'development' of the Corrib Gas.
Pobal Le Chéile is a local alliance of small and medium sized local business people mainly from the Erris region who also oppose the current plans for the project. They have refused to take Shell's money. They work closely with Pobal Chill Chomáin
and have refused to participate in the Forum also.
The Pro Gas Mayo Group (PGMG) is a small pressure group based in County Mayo, Ireland and successor to the Pro Erris Gas Group. It considers the Shell to Sea campaign to be threatening employment in Mayo. It has three known members, Pádraig Cosgrove (from Bangor Erris
), Harry Walsh (from Kilmaine
, some 100 miles from the affected area) former non-party councillor on Mayo County Council, and Brendan Cafferty from Ballina
(a former Garda
). None of its known members reside in the affected community of Kilcommon Parish.
A poll conducted throughout the county
by TNS/MRBI on behalf of RTÉ
's Nuacht
in September 2006 showed that 60% of respondents agreed the gas processing terminal should be located offshore, with 23% supporting Shell and the government's decision to build inland. The offshore alternative had strongest support amongst those aged under 49 years, and those residing in Castlebar
/Ballinrobe
/Claremorris
and Westport
/Belmullet areas."
Many environmental activists, particularly Shell to Sea and Maura Harrington
, criticised Green Party
politician Eamon Ryan
for joining Fianna Fáil
in coalition after the 2007 general election, 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. Before being appointed as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Ryan visibly supported the aims of the Shell to Sea campaign and the Rossport Five, and also 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 did not contain such a commitment. The motion passed at the February 2007 annual conference in Galway said that "...the Green Party in government will not approve a production pipeline consent being signed as part of the Corrib gas project until the completion of a full independent review of the best development concept for the concept."
A spokesman said "Just because there is a big job doesn't mean there is slush to be thrown around for good social causes,"
"It is now time for the companies to acknowledge that they have an ethical and moral duty not only to our local regulatory bodies but to the ordinary people of this region to come here and publicly debate all issues relating to their current and future exploration activities off our coastline," said Mr Cunningham
The Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Mr. Frank Fahy, warned that apart from the construction stages very few jobs will be created.
Sub-sea technology will be used to bring the gas to land, which lies fifty miles off the Mayo coast, in contrast to the more commonly used production platforms. Strong objections are raised to the building of a Gas Terminal from the residents of Ballinaboy and Leenamore. The villagers say all sixteen of their households in the remote villages of are within 1 km of the proposed terminal and that some houses are as close as 360 metres.
In 2001 Enda Kenny TD raised, in the Dáil, the concerns of the Erris Inshore Fishermen's Association about the effect of the discharge pipe from the terminal at Ballinaboy.
In 2003 an offshore terminal was mooted as an optimum solution to the Corrib gas planning crux.
Following the granting of planning permission, local people started blockading the terminal site and compounds set up for pipeline construction. On the 4th April 2005 Shell obtained a high court order restraining protesters from restricting access to its Rossport compound. In the week of 20 June it obtained a temporary injunction. On the 29th June Shell sought a committal order against five people for breach of the temporary injunction. This led to the imprisonment of the five men who became known as the Rossport Five
. A 300 km 'Long Walk' from Rossport, Co Mayo to Dublin took place in August 2006 to highlight opposition to the project. It took 12 days.
Integrated Risk Management Services
(I-RMS), a security firm employed by Shell, began working in Glengad
in the summer of 2008. Security men caused controversy when local journalists reported on them filming children swimming near Shell's Glengad
compound in the summer of 2008. Local parish priest Fr. Michael Nallen told media that the security men made his parishioners prisoners in their own area.
On September 9, 2008, Maura Harrington
began a hunger strike
in protest at the arrival of the pipe-laying ship Solitaire
into Broadhaven Bay, and stated she would refuse food until the vessel left Irish waters. She ended her protest on September 19, after the ship was damaged and had to leave Ireland for repairs.
On the night of September 15, 2008, a suspect package consisting of a plastic bag containing a bottle of petrol, a clock and a can of paint was found outside the Dublin HQ of Shell.
were jailed for contempt of court
in the summer of 2005 for refusing to allow Shell workers access to their lands, supporters illegally blockaded all project works around Kilcommon
in protest. The recently formed Shell to Sea
(S2S) took part in the campaign with the aim of having the gas refined offshore as is done in Kinsale Head gas field
though Shell state there are numerous technical and economic reasons why it should be processed onshore . These blockades were maintained until October 2006, when hundreds of Gardaí used legitimate force to remove protesters blockading the sites.
Previous to this, the Gardaí had not interfered with the blockades, which stayed in place for fifteen months. The requirement to use physical force to break the blockades made national TV news in Ireland. Some Gardaí and protesters were hospitalised, and many protesters claimed the police used excessive force. Gardaí were also accused of operating a "no-arrest policy" in order to circumvent the judicial process (this was based on comments made by Superintendent
Joe Gannon in an interview in Garda Review, in which he stated: "There were no arrests. That was part of our strategy; we did not want to facilitate anyone down there with a route to martyrdom.")
The Garda operation succeeded in its goal of breaking the blockades preventing work on the refinery site at Bellanaboy. Work there has continued with brief pauses occasioned by site occupations and lock-on
s) since. At times, hundreds of Gardaí have been deployed to facilitate the project. Many local people involved in Shell to Sea also complained of harassment and intimidation from police away from the protests.However there have also been accusations of intimidation of local people by Shell to Sea supporters
The Garda Síochána are often described as Shell's police force by protesters due to their treatment of them.
. Under Gilligan's superintendency over forty arrests made in the summer of 2008. The Irish Navy were brought in to provide assistance in dealing with protests on water. Local businessman and fisherman Pat O'Donnell accused the Gardaí of selective policing, alleging that they made no answer to call for assistance in defending his private property, crab pots that were in the path of the pipe laying vessel, Solitaire
. Gardaí arrested O'Donnell and his son twice in a 24-hour period from the sea on public order charges, but desisted when their solicitor requested they charge his clients or stop arresting them.
The Garda Water Unit
were used to manage the actions of water-based protesters who sought to disrupt the Shell works. Shell's survey boats in Srahwuddacon Bay in Erris
were accompanied at all times by several Gardaí in their own boat, when surveying feasible routes for the gas pipeline. In August and September 2008, members of the unit entered the sea to wrestle with Shell to Sea protesters near the Shell compound of Glengad beach..
By September 2008, the cost of the operation was €10 Million and is estimated to have cost €13.5 Million by the end of January 2009 .
Pobal Chill Chomáin
have also complained of Garda surveillance
.
(GSOC) has recommended that disciplinary action be taken against an unnamed senior member of An Garda Síochána in relation to the handling of the protest. The GSOC investigation was undertaken under section 95 of the Garda Síochána Act, 2005, after receipt of complaints over Garda handling of a protest at Pollathomas pier in June 2007. Some 20 civilians and two gardaí were injured when a landowner objected to trespass on his property by contractors for Shell EP Ireland. The GSOC initially asked the Minister for Justice whether it could investigate the complaints under section 106 of the Garda Síochána Act. This was turned down by the Minister. Some 68 gardaí were contacted by the GSOC – a move criticised by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors.
, a Pobal Chill Chomáin
member, was hospitalised in the early hours of the morning after an alleged assault by masked people during a protest at Shell works at Glengad
. I-RMS later confirmed that employees had intended to remove Corduff, but found him standing up, and had him taken away by ambulance when he complained of chest pains. The recent Frontline report has found that the assault on Willie Corduff needs to be reinvestigated by Gardaí from outside of County Mayo
as I-RMS claims are not corroborated by ambulance and hospital records which verify that his injuries are consistent with having been beaten up.
Two films have been made recently in the locality. http://www.thepipethefilm.com/ Trailer for 'The Pipe' which is to be released on 8 July 2010 at the Galway Film Festival and http://www.vimeo.com/8668733'Pipe Down' film winner at the Waterford Film Festival 2010
In an effort to resolve issues, the OECD is to host talks between Pobal Chill Chomáin and Shell Ireland, following a complaint from Pobal Chill Chomáin
that the project violates OECD guidelines for multinational companies.
Following a prolonged Oral Hearing in the Broadhaven Bay
Hotel in Belmullet
in May and June 2009 chaired by An Bord Pleanala
many discrepancies were uncovered in Shell & partners' plans for Kilcommon
parish and their plans were rejected once again by the Board chairman. They were told to devise a new plan to be submitted by October 2009 and after several extensions of time, RPS Group
on behalf of the Corrib Gas partners, eventually submitted a new Environmental Impact Statement
to the Planning Board on 31 May 2010, a plan which this time, envisages laying the Corrib gas pipeline buried under the length of Sruwaddacon Bay
. On 30 June 2010 the Corrib gas project placed three separate planning notices for the project in national and local newspapers giving one month in which submissions can be entered. They also incorporated Glengad
into their latest planning application, which was omitted from previous applications. Their maps of the proposed Corrib Gas pipeline also omit most of this well populated townland in which Shell intends to place some of its most contentious components. It is expected that another Oral Hearing will then be held to discuss this variation in early autumn.
The Corrib Gas partners are about to commence the boring of 80 boreholes in Sruwaddacon Bay in July 2010 to see what the substrate underlying Sruwaddacon Bay is like.
Statoil
Statoil ASA is a Norwegian petroleum company established in 1972. It merged with Norsk Hydro in 2007 and was known as StatoilHydro until 2009, when the name was changed back to Statoil ASA. The brand Statoil was retained as a chain of fuel stations owned by StatoilHydro...
, Vermilion Energy Trust and the Irish government
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
for processing the Corrib gas field
Corrib Gas Field
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...
through Broadhaven Bay
Broadhaven Bay
Broadhaven Bay is a natural bay of the Atlantic Ocean situated on the northwestern coast of County Mayo, Ireland. The opening of the bay faces northward, stretching between Erris Head on the west side and Kid Island on the east side with approximately 8.6 km between the two sides.It borders...
and Sruth Fada Conn Bay in Kilcommon
Kilcommon
Kilcommon is a civil parish in Erris, north Mayo consisting of two large peninsulas; Dún Chaocháin and Dún Chiortáin. It consists of 37 townlands, some of which are so remote that they have no inhabitants...
parish, Erris
Erris
Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name Erris derives from the Irish 'Iar Ros' meaning 'western...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, and objections raised against those plans.
Background
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 is developed by Shell E&P Ireland as operator of the project, in cooperation with Statoil Exploration (Ireland) LimitedStatoil
Statoil ASA is a Norwegian petroleum company established in 1972. It merged with Norsk Hydro in 2007 and was known as StatoilHydro until 2009, when the name was changed back to Statoil ASA. The brand Statoil was retained as a chain of fuel stations owned by StatoilHydro...
, and the Vermilion Energy Trust.
The deepwater exploration licence No. 2/93 for 11 years, covering four blocks in the Slyne Trough, was granted on 1 January 1993 to Enterprise Oil
Enterprise Oil
Enterprise Oil was a major British independent exploration and production company based in Europe, with core areas of activity in Britain and Ireland, mainland Europe, Brazil and the Gulf of Mexico...
. The licence was issued under the licensing terms for offshore oil and gas exploration and development 1992. The Corrib natural gas field
Natural gas field
Oil and natural gas are produced by the same geological process according fossil fuel suggestion: anaerobic decay of organic matter deep under the Earth's surface. As a consequence, oil and natural gas are often found together...
was discovered in 1996. It was the first reported commercial natural gas discovery in Ireland since the Kinsale Head gas field
Kinsale Head gas field
The Kinsale Head gas field is an offshore natural gas field off the southern coast of Ireland discovered in 1973 near Old Head of Kinsale, in the Celtic Sea and met Ireland's gas need until 1996...
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
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
who took over the operatorship of the project. Development of the project began in 2004.
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
called for an inquiry into the Corrib deal as early as 2001.
Reasons for controversy
The controversy has stemmed from many points:- Local residents along the course of the proposed pipeline route felt they were not sufficiently consulted (decisions were imposed on the community by force)
- The location of the pipeline and its proximity caused concern
- The transmission pressure and untreated nature of the gas in the pipeline
- The location of the onshore processing facility on former forestry land caused concern adjacent to water supply
- Jailing of protesters at the request of Shell
- Concerns about the marine ecology
- Most people who live in Cill Chomáin parish, the area affected, believe that gas processing should be carried out at sea
- Some are concerned with irregularities in the policies preceding this project
Planning problems
In November, 2000 planning permission was submitted for an onshore terminal at Bellanaboy to Mayo County CouncilMayo County Council
Mayo County council is the local authority which is responsible for County Mayo in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment. The county council is governed by the Local Government...
(MCC). In January, 2001 MCC sought more information after local concerns are raised.
In April a new planning application was submitted. June, MCC seek more information which is supplied in July. The Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Minister Fahey hosted a public meeting on offshore licensing aspects of Corrib in Geesala, Co. Mayo.
In August MCC granted planning permission for the onshore terminal, with conditions. This is immediately appealed to An Bord Pleanala by residents and environmental groups.
Also in August Minister Fahey stated that the objectors are holding up progress in the west.
The Planning decision according to a Channel Four documentary resulted from "huge pressure" that had been exerted on it. This decision was immediately appealed to An Bord Pleanála
An Bord Pleanála
An Bord Pleanála is an independent statutory administrative tribunal that decides on appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2007 The Planning Board directly decides major strategic infrastructural projects under the provisions of the Planning...
(ABP) by local people and environmental groups.
In 2002, planning permission for a proposed refinery in County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
was refused by Senior Planning Inspector Kevin Moore, of ABP. His report stated: "From a strategic planning perspective, this is the wrong site; from the perspective of Government policy which seeks to foster balanced regional development, this is the wrong site; from the perspective of minimising environmental impact, this is the wrong site; and consequently, from the perspective of sustainable development, this is the wrong site".
Then Minister for Marine and Natural Resources Frank Fahey
Frank Fahey
Frank Fahey is a property developer and former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Galway West constituency.-Life before politics:...
told the media that this refusal was "just a hitch". He was backed by local Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
TD
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
, now leader of that party, Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny is an Irish Fine Gael politician, and has been the Taoiseach since 2011. He has led Fine Gael since 2002. He served as Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997. He is also a two-term Vice President of the European People's Party.Kenny has been a Teachta Dála for Mayo since...
, but opposed by another local Fine Gael TD, Michael Ring
Michael Ring
Michael Ring is an Irish Fine Gael politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Mayo constituency since June 1994, and is the current Minister of State for Tourism and Sport....
. An Bord Pleanála had asked Shell to examine the less profitable option of refining the gas at sea, but this was not undertaken.
In 2002 a Rossport resident failed in a High Court challenge to halt the pipeline.
In 2003 senior executives from Shell sought, and were given, an interview with then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and other Irish government ministers. Within a week, Ahern met with the board of An Bord Pleanála, who are appointed by the government.
In December 2003, a new planning application was made for the same site, together with a peat storage site some 11 km away. This was subject to an appeal to An Bord Pleanála who granted permission in October 2004 attaching 42 conditions.
The board decided to ignore many of its own inspector's recommendations. Not long before, a huge landslide swept away the whole surface area of a mountain close to the intended pipeline route. Planning permission was not required for the onshore pipeline under the Gas Act 1976.
In November 2009, An Bord Pleanála ordered Shell to redesign the pipeline and move its route away from homes because it posed an "unacceptable risk".
Opponents and supporters
The Shell to Sea campaign, which is campaigning to have the gas processed at sea rather than inland, was created during the imprisonment of the Rossport FiveRossport Five
The Rossport Five are James Brendan Philbin, brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Willie Corduff and Micheál Ó Seighin. All five are from Kilcommon parish, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland and were jailed on 29 June 2005 by Justice Finnegan, President of the High Court of the Republic of Ireland, for...
in 2005. It is a very active group in the affected Kilcommon
Kilcommon
Kilcommon is a civil parish in Erris, north Mayo consisting of two large peninsulas; Dún Chaocháin and Dún Chiortáin. It consists of 37 townlands, some of which are so remote that they have no inhabitants...
parish holding regular meetings and organising regular events. Shell to Sea also has many supporters outside of the immediately affected area from across County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, across all of Ireland and there are also several international Shell to Sea groups across the world. Shell to Sea have a website that is kept updated on a daily basis. They refuse to be participants in the North West Development Forum (known as the Corrib Gas Forum or known locally as the 'Funny Forum') at which Government Ministers, Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
and Mayo County Council
Mayo County Council
Mayo County council is the local authority which is responsible for County Mayo in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment. The county council is governed by the Local Government...
sit occasionally in a hotel in Belmullet
Belmullet
Belmullet is a coastal Gaeltacht town with a population of around 2,000 on the Mullet Peninsula in the barony of Erris, County Mayo, Ireland. Its name means the "mouth of the mullet"...
to try to work out a solution to the Corrib Gas problem.
Pobal Chill Chomáin, a group of local residents who live in the affected Kilcommon parish, Erris
Erris
Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name Erris derives from the Irish 'Iar Ros' meaning 'western...
, from both peninsulas of Sruwaddacon Bay
Sruwaddacon Bay
Sruwaddacon Bay is a tidal estuary which runs through the middle of the Gaeltacht Kilcommon Parish, Erris, North County Mayo; it is of historical importance in Irish legend, an important marine habitat, an E.U. Special Area of Conservation and an E.U...
also oppose the current plans for the project, due to concerns about the health, safety and environmental impact of the onshore aspects of the scheme and cite Shell's record in similar projects. ). They refuse to participate in the Corrib Gas Forum, (North West Development Forum) at which Government Ministers, Shell and Mayo County Council try to discuss the 'development' of the Corrib Gas.
Pobal Le Chéile is a local alliance of small and medium sized local business people mainly from the Erris region who also oppose the current plans for the project. They have refused to take Shell's money. They work closely with Pobal Chill Chomáin
Pobal Chill Chomáin
Pobal Chill Chomáin is a pressure group based in the parish of Kilcommon, Erris County Mayo, Ireland. It emerged from the larger Shell to Sea campaign in April 2008...
and have refused to participate in the Forum also.
Bangor Erris
Bangor Erris is a town in Kiltane parish in Erris, County Mayo, Ireland with a population of 500. It is on the banks of the Owenmore River and is the gateway to the Erris Peninsula linking Belmullet with Ballina and Westport, nestled at the foot of the "Bangor Trail" a 22-mile mountain pass across...
), Harry Walsh (from Kilmaine
Kilmaine
Kilmaine or Kilmain is a barony and village in County Mayo, Ireland.-History:The great cairns and other monuments in the country between Ballinchalla and Cross show it to have been of significance in prehistoric times. Around the time of St. Patrick in the 4th century AD, the tribe known as...
, some 100 miles from the affected area) former non-party councillor on Mayo County Council, and Brendan Cafferty from Ballina
Ballina, County Mayo
Ballina is a large town in north County Mayo in Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and Parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountain range to the east and the Nephin Beg mountains to the west...
(a former Garda
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
). None of its known members reside in the affected community of Kilcommon Parish.
A poll conducted throughout the county
Counties of Ireland
The counties of Ireland are sub-national divisions used for the purposes of geographic demarcation and local government. Closely related to the county is the County corporate which covered towns or cities which were deemed to be important enough to be independent from their counties. A county...
by TNS/MRBI on behalf of RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
's Nuacht
Nuacht RTÉ
Nuacht RTÉ is one of two Irish language television news services broadcast by RTÉ News and Current Affairs in Ireland...
in September 2006 showed that 60% of respondents agreed the gas processing terminal should be located offshore, with 23% supporting Shell and the government's decision to build inland. The offshore alternative had strongest support amongst those aged under 49 years, and those residing in Castlebar
Castlebar
Castlebar is the county town of, and at the centre of, County Mayo in Ireland. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years...
/Ballinrobe
Ballinrobe
-Early history:Dating back to 1390, Ballinrobe is said to be the oldest town in South Mayo. The registry of the Dominican friary of Athenry mentions the monastery de Roba, an Augustinian friary whose recently restored ruins are one of the historical landmarks of the town today...
/Claremorris
Claremorris
Claremorris , is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, at the junction of the N17 and the N60 national routes. The population of Claremoris in the 2011 Census was 3,979....
and Westport
Westport, County Mayo
Westport is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated on the west coast at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean....
/Belmullet areas."
Many environmental activists, particularly Shell to Sea and Maura Harrington
Maura Harrington
Maura Harrington was a spokesperson for the Shell to Sea campaign, from County Mayo, Ireland. A retired school principal of Inver National School, Harrington was previously involved in fundraising for the British Miners' Strike as well as campaigning against the Maastricht treaty.She has been...
, criticised Green Party
Green Party (Ireland)
The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...
politician Eamon Ryan
Eamon Ryan
Eamon Ryan is an Irish politician and leader of the Irish Green Party. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South constituency from 2002 to 2011, and served as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2007 to 2011....
for joining Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
in coalition after the 2007 general election, 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. Before being appointed as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Ryan visibly supported the aims of the Shell to Sea campaign and the Rossport Five, and also 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 did not contain such a commitment. The motion passed at the February 2007 annual conference in Galway said that "...the Green Party in government will not approve a production pipeline consent being signed as part of the Corrib gas project until the completion of a full independent review of the best development concept for the concept."
Opposition 1998 to 2004
In 1998 there were complaints from unions about the failure to employ Irish workers on the exploration rig SEDCO 711. Enterprise Oil thought union wage rates offshore Ireland were two to three times higher than in the North Sea. The budget was £20 million for 2008 cumulatively £50 million.A spokesman said "Just because there is a big job doesn't mean there is slush to be thrown around for good social causes,"
"It is now time for the companies to acknowledge that they have an ethical and moral duty not only to our local regulatory bodies but to the ordinary people of this region to come here and publicly debate all issues relating to their current and future exploration activities off our coastline," said Mr Cunningham
The Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Mr. Frank Fahy, warned that apart from the construction stages very few jobs will be created.
Sub-sea technology will be used to bring the gas to land, which lies fifty miles off the Mayo coast, in contrast to the more commonly used production platforms. Strong objections are raised to the building of a Gas Terminal from the residents of Ballinaboy and Leenamore. The villagers say all sixteen of their households in the remote villages of are within 1 km of the proposed terminal and that some houses are as close as 360 metres.
In 2001 Enda Kenny TD raised, in the Dáil, the concerns of the Erris Inshore Fishermen's Association about the effect of the discharge pipe from the terminal at Ballinaboy.
In 2003 an offshore terminal was mooted as an optimum solution to the Corrib gas planning crux.
Protests 2005 to 2008
In January Shell sent registered letters to a number of land owners who were denying the company access to their land, that they would take court action against them.Following the granting of planning permission, local people started blockading the terminal site and compounds set up for pipeline construction. On the 4th April 2005 Shell obtained a high court order restraining protesters from restricting access to its Rossport compound. In the week of 20 June it obtained a temporary injunction. On the 29th June Shell sought a committal order against five people for breach of the temporary injunction. This led to the imprisonment of the five men who became known as the Rossport Five
Rossport Five
The Rossport Five are James Brendan Philbin, brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Willie Corduff and Micheál Ó Seighin. All five are from Kilcommon parish, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland and were jailed on 29 June 2005 by Justice Finnegan, President of the High Court of the Republic of Ireland, for...
. A 300 km 'Long Walk' from Rossport, Co Mayo to Dublin took place in August 2006 to highlight opposition to the project. It took 12 days.
Integrated Risk Management Services
Integrated Risk Management Services
Integrated Risk Management Services is the trading name of a private security company Business Mobile Security Services Ltd based in Naas, Ireland. I-RMS are licensed by the Private Security Authority, the statutory body responsible for licensing and regulation of the private security industry in...
(I-RMS), a security firm employed by Shell, began working in Glengad
Glengad
Glengad is a small Gaeltacht village in the parish of Kilcommon in northwest County Mayo, Ireland. The townland is also known as Dooncarton , a name which comes from an Iron Age tribal chieftain called Ciortan, a character who appears in the Ulster Cycle legend of the Táin Bó Flidhais.The village...
in the summer of 2008. Security men caused controversy when local journalists reported on them filming children swimming near Shell's Glengad
Glengad
Glengad is a small Gaeltacht village in the parish of Kilcommon in northwest County Mayo, Ireland. The townland is also known as Dooncarton , a name which comes from an Iron Age tribal chieftain called Ciortan, a character who appears in the Ulster Cycle legend of the Táin Bó Flidhais.The village...
compound in the summer of 2008. Local parish priest Fr. Michael Nallen told media that the security men made his parishioners prisoners in their own area.
On September 9, 2008, Maura Harrington
Maura Harrington
Maura Harrington was a spokesperson for the Shell to Sea campaign, from County Mayo, Ireland. A retired school principal of Inver National School, Harrington was previously involved in fundraising for the British Miners' Strike as well as campaigning against the Maastricht treaty.She has been...
began a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
in protest at the arrival of the pipe-laying ship Solitaire
Solitaire (ship)
The Solitaire is the largest pipe-laying ship in the world at long and . When fully operational she has a crew of 420, a pipe carrying capacity of 22,000 metric tons and a pipe lay speed of more than 9 km a day....
into Broadhaven Bay, and stated she would refuse food until the vessel left Irish waters. She ended her protest on September 19, after the ship was damaged and had to leave Ireland for repairs.
On the night of September 15, 2008, a suspect package consisting of a plastic bag containing a bottle of petrol, a clock and a can of paint was found outside the Dublin HQ of Shell.
Garda Operation
After the Rossport FiveRossport Five
The Rossport Five are James Brendan Philbin, brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Willie Corduff and Micheál Ó Seighin. All five are from Kilcommon parish, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland and were jailed on 29 June 2005 by Justice Finnegan, President of the High Court of the Republic of Ireland, for...
were jailed for contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
in the summer of 2005 for refusing to allow Shell workers access to their lands, supporters illegally blockaded all project works around Kilcommon
Kilcommon
Kilcommon is a civil parish in Erris, north Mayo consisting of two large peninsulas; Dún Chaocháin and Dún Chiortáin. It consists of 37 townlands, some of which are so remote that they have no inhabitants...
in protest. The recently formed Shell to Sea
Shell to Sea
Shell to Sea is a campaign based in Cill Chomáin parish, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland which opposes the proposed construction of a natural gas pipeline through the parish and the ongoing construction by Royal Dutch Shell, Statoil and Vermilion Energy Trust of a refinery at Bellanaboy intended to...
(S2S) took part in the campaign with the aim of having the gas refined offshore as is done in Kinsale Head gas field
Kinsale Head gas field
The Kinsale Head gas field is an offshore natural gas field off the southern coast of Ireland discovered in 1973 near Old Head of Kinsale, in the Celtic Sea and met Ireland's gas need until 1996...
though Shell state there are numerous technical and economic reasons why it should be processed onshore . These blockades were maintained until October 2006, when hundreds of Gardaí used legitimate force to remove protesters blockading the sites.
Previous to this, the Gardaí had not interfered with the blockades, which stayed in place for fifteen months. The requirement to use physical force to break the blockades made national TV news in Ireland. Some Gardaí and protesters were hospitalised, and many protesters claimed the police used excessive force. Gardaí were also accused of operating a "no-arrest policy" in order to circumvent the judicial process (this was based on comments made by Superintendent
Superintendent (police)
Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police...
Joe Gannon in an interview in Garda Review, in which he stated: "There were no arrests. That was part of our strategy; we did not want to facilitate anyone down there with a route to martyrdom.")
The Garda operation succeeded in its goal of breaking the blockades preventing work on the refinery site at Bellanaboy. Work there has continued with brief pauses occasioned by site occupations and lock-on
Lock-on
A lock-on is a technique used by peaceful protesters to make it difficult to remove them from their place of protest. It often involves handcuffs, chains, padlocks or bicycle locks...
s) since. At times, hundreds of Gardaí have been deployed to facilitate the project. Many local people involved in Shell to Sea also complained of harassment and intimidation from police away from the protests.However there have also been accusations of intimidation of local people by Shell to Sea supporters
The Garda Síochána are often described as Shell's police force by protesters due to their treatment of them.
Glengad
In July 2008, preparatory work for the raw gas pipeline began in GlengadGlengad
Glengad is a small Gaeltacht village in the parish of Kilcommon in northwest County Mayo, Ireland. The townland is also known as Dooncarton , a name which comes from an Iron Age tribal chieftain called Ciortan, a character who appears in the Ulster Cycle legend of the Táin Bó Flidhais.The village...
. Under Gilligan's superintendency over forty arrests made in the summer of 2008. The Irish Navy were brought in to provide assistance in dealing with protests on water. Local businessman and fisherman Pat O'Donnell accused the Gardaí of selective policing, alleging that they made no answer to call for assistance in defending his private property, crab pots that were in the path of the pipe laying vessel, Solitaire
Solitaire (ship)
The Solitaire is the largest pipe-laying ship in the world at long and . When fully operational she has a crew of 420, a pipe carrying capacity of 22,000 metric tons and a pipe lay speed of more than 9 km a day....
. Gardaí arrested O'Donnell and his son twice in a 24-hour period from the sea on public order charges, but desisted when their solicitor requested they charge his clients or stop arresting them.
The Garda Water Unit
Garda Water Unit
The Garda Water Unit is a unit of the Garda Síochána, the police service of Ireland. Formerly known as the Garda Sub-Aqua Unit, the name was changed to incorporate the services of the non-diving surfaced based marine section....
were used to manage the actions of water-based protesters who sought to disrupt the Shell works. Shell's survey boats in Srahwuddacon Bay in Erris
Erris
Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name Erris derives from the Irish 'Iar Ros' meaning 'western...
were accompanied at all times by several Gardaí in their own boat, when surveying feasible routes for the gas pipeline. In August and September 2008, members of the unit entered the sea to wrestle with Shell to Sea protesters near the Shell compound of Glengad beach..
By September 2008, the cost of the operation was €10 Million and is estimated to have cost €13.5 Million by the end of January 2009 .
Pobal Chill Chomáin
Pobal Chill Chomáin
Pobal Chill Chomáin is a pressure group based in the parish of Kilcommon, Erris County Mayo, Ireland. It emerged from the larger Shell to Sea campaign in April 2008...
have also complained of Garda surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
.
Involvement of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman CommissionGarda Síochána Ombudsman Commission
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is an independent statutory body in Ireland charged with overseeing An Garda Síochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland. It was established under the Garda Síochána Act, 2005. The Commission deals with complaints from members of the public about...
(GSOC) has recommended that disciplinary action be taken against an unnamed senior member of An Garda Síochána in relation to the handling of the protest. The GSOC investigation was undertaken under section 95 of the Garda Síochána Act, 2005, after receipt of complaints over Garda handling of a protest at Pollathomas pier in June 2007. Some 20 civilians and two gardaí were injured when a landowner objected to trespass on his property by contractors for Shell EP Ireland. The GSOC initially asked the Minister for Justice whether it could investigate the complaints under section 106 of the Garda Síochána Act. This was turned down by the Minister. Some 68 gardaí were contacted by the GSOC – a move criticised by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors.
2011
In April 2011, a senior Garda officer was appointed to investigate the treatment of two women who were arrested during protests. Gardaí were recorded on a video camera they had earlier confiscated joking about threatening to deport and rape one of the women.Opposition 2009 - 2010
In April 2009, protesters removed sections of fence they asserted were erected illegally. On 23 April, Willie CorduffWillie Corduff
Willie Corduff is an Irish environmental activist from the farming community of Rossport, parish of Kilcommon, Erris. Corduff's parents first arrived in Rossport in 1947, and reclaimed a farm by hand out of bogland. He became a campaigner against Shells' activities in his local area...
, a Pobal Chill Chomáin
Pobal Chill Chomáin
Pobal Chill Chomáin is a pressure group based in the parish of Kilcommon, Erris County Mayo, Ireland. It emerged from the larger Shell to Sea campaign in April 2008...
member, was hospitalised in the early hours of the morning after an alleged assault by masked people during a protest at Shell works at Glengad
Glengad
Glengad is a small Gaeltacht village in the parish of Kilcommon in northwest County Mayo, Ireland. The townland is also known as Dooncarton , a name which comes from an Iron Age tribal chieftain called Ciortan, a character who appears in the Ulster Cycle legend of the Táin Bó Flidhais.The village...
. I-RMS later confirmed that employees had intended to remove Corduff, but found him standing up, and had him taken away by ambulance when he complained of chest pains. The recent Frontline report has found that the assault on Willie Corduff needs to be reinvestigated by Gardaí from outside of County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
as I-RMS claims are not corroborated by ambulance and hospital records which verify that his injuries are consistent with having been beaten up.
Two films have been made recently in the locality. http://www.thepipethefilm.com/ Trailer for 'The Pipe' which is to be released on 8 July 2010 at the Galway Film Festival and http://www.vimeo.com/8668733'Pipe Down' film winner at the Waterford Film Festival 2010
In an effort to resolve issues, the OECD is to host talks between Pobal Chill Chomáin and Shell Ireland, following a complaint from Pobal Chill Chomáin
Pobal Chill Chomáin
Pobal Chill Chomáin is a pressure group based in the parish of Kilcommon, Erris County Mayo, Ireland. It emerged from the larger Shell to Sea campaign in April 2008...
that the project violates OECD guidelines for multinational companies.
Following a prolonged Oral Hearing in the Broadhaven Bay
Broadhaven Bay
Broadhaven Bay is a natural bay of the Atlantic Ocean situated on the northwestern coast of County Mayo, Ireland. The opening of the bay faces northward, stretching between Erris Head on the west side and Kid Island on the east side with approximately 8.6 km between the two sides.It borders...
Hotel in Belmullet
Belmullet
Belmullet is a coastal Gaeltacht town with a population of around 2,000 on the Mullet Peninsula in the barony of Erris, County Mayo, Ireland. Its name means the "mouth of the mullet"...
in May and June 2009 chaired by An Bord Pleanala
An Bord Pleanála
An Bord Pleanála is an independent statutory administrative tribunal that decides on appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2007 The Planning Board directly decides major strategic infrastructural projects under the provisions of the Planning...
many discrepancies were uncovered in Shell & partners' plans for Kilcommon
Kilcommon
Kilcommon is a civil parish in Erris, north Mayo consisting of two large peninsulas; Dún Chaocháin and Dún Chiortáin. It consists of 37 townlands, some of which are so remote that they have no inhabitants...
parish and their plans were rejected once again by the Board chairman. They were told to devise a new plan to be submitted by October 2009 and after several extensions of time, RPS Group
RPS Group
RPS Group plc is a major UK-based environmental and planning consultancy. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
on behalf of the Corrib Gas partners, eventually submitted a new Environmental Impact Statement
Environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement , under United States environmental law, is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making...
to the Planning Board on 31 May 2010, a plan which this time, envisages laying the Corrib gas pipeline buried under the length of Sruwaddacon Bay
Sruwaddacon Bay
Sruwaddacon Bay is a tidal estuary which runs through the middle of the Gaeltacht Kilcommon Parish, Erris, North County Mayo; it is of historical importance in Irish legend, an important marine habitat, an E.U. Special Area of Conservation and an E.U...
. On 30 June 2010 the Corrib gas project placed three separate planning notices for the project in national and local newspapers giving one month in which submissions can be entered. They also incorporated Glengad
Glengad
Glengad is a small Gaeltacht village in the parish of Kilcommon in northwest County Mayo, Ireland. The townland is also known as Dooncarton , a name which comes from an Iron Age tribal chieftain called Ciortan, a character who appears in the Ulster Cycle legend of the Táin Bó Flidhais.The village...
into their latest planning application, which was omitted from previous applications. Their maps of the proposed Corrib Gas pipeline also omit most of this well populated townland in which Shell intends to place some of its most contentious components. It is expected that another Oral Hearing will then be held to discuss this variation in early autumn.
The Corrib Gas partners are about to commence the boring of 80 boreholes in Sruwaddacon Bay in July 2010 to see what the substrate underlying Sruwaddacon Bay is like.
Book
A book on the controversy called Once Upon a Time in the West – The Corrib Gas Controversy by Irish Times journalist Lorna Siggins was published in October 2010 by Transworld Ireland.External links
- Trailer for 'The Pipe' released 8 July 2010 - Galway Film Festival
- Pipe Down, prize winning documentary from Ireland (Vimeo, Flash 10)
- 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.
- Shell's page on Corrib project
- Mayo Gas Info
- Corrib Gas News and Analysis
- Shell To Sea Campaign
- Advantica's review of onshore pipeline
- Bitter dispute over gas pipeline — BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
news article on controversy - Gas Lads, article from MagillMagillMagill was an Irish politics and current affairs magazine founded by Vincent Browne and others in 1977. Magill was widely perceived as groundbreaking, specialising in in-depth investigative articles and colourful reportage by journalists such as Eamonn McCann and Gene Kerrigan...
on resources give-away - Giving our resources to Norway Irish Times column on controversy