Green light for Corrib gas line in Mayo

The Government has given the final approval for Shell to begin operating the Corrib gas pipeline in Mayo.

Alex White, the communications, energy, and natural resources minister, issued a statement last night confirming he had approved the facility subject to 20 conditions relating to environmental management, operation, control, and monitoring at the terminal.

The decision comes almost 20 years after the offshore gas field was discovered in 1996. While development began in 2005, a final route for the pipeline was only approved in 2011. Construction was completed last year and, in August, Shell applied for ministerial consent to begin operations.

Now that the final hurdle has been passed, Shell is expected to commence operations and could be bringing gas ashore within the coming days.

The project is expected to provide 42% of the country’s gas needs in the first two years but has elicited a mixed reaction from the general public.

Locals in the Bellanaboy area have voiced concerns about the development and the potential impact a pipeline would have on the landscape.

As such, Shell said it had committed to implementing an extensive biodiversity plan for the area.

The company also said that its standards had been thoroughly verified throughout all stages of the Corrib gas project.