Shell chiefs ‘believe gas stock could be massive’

EXECUTIVES at multinational energy company Shell believe the Irish state could be in possession of massive gas resources off the west coast, “up to 20 times” the scale of the already discovered Corrib field.

A confidential US embassy cable leaked by the Wikileaks site reports that Julian Cetti, Shell Ireland’s head of commercial and business strategy, said the highly lucrative Corrib gas field and another development planned by the US firm Hess in the Shannon area would be enough to meet domestic gas demands for many years.

The cable, sent in April 2008 from the US embassy in Dublin and marked confidential, states Cetti said “there ‘could be 20 or more Corribs out there — or very little — depending on how the exploratory drilling progresses this year’.”

The communique adds that Mr Cetti “hinted that Shell did not have a ‘Plan B’ if they didn’t get approval” for a controversial onshore pipeline, which is still under consideration by An Bord Pleanála. It is noted that the “Irish Government just announced the results of the latest round of licence tendering for fields in the North Atlantic. Exxon Mobil (and partners) won two of the four licences up for grabs.”

Shell Ireland was unavailable to comment.

The cable also reveals tensions between the Government and unions over plans to break up ESB control of the national grid.

With the US embassy reporting that Morgan Bazilian, special adviser to Minister Eamon Ryan on Energy and Climate Change, stating that getting agreement on an ESB investment programme “took some effort, largely because the ESB union ‘took some convincing’.

It is noted that although some advances have been made by the Irish Government in relation to ocean energy generation “other observers here echo Jim Barry’s (CEO of Irish firm NTR) comment that the Government does not have an energy/climate change policy,’ and that it is making decisions on an ad hoc basis rather than engaging in any strategic thinking.”

In another Wikileaks document, a May 2009 Bolivian US embassy cable, it is revealed that “witnesses” informed US staff that an April 2009 incident in which Irishman Michael Dwyer was killed along with two others by state special forces was an attempt “to clear tracks” in a fake terrorist plot set up by the Bolivian intelligence services.

But the embassy report concludes that it “will be many months before they know the truth of this case. If it ever comes to be known”.